Beware the Frozen Heart
by Snowfall-In-Summer
Summary: It was simple: kill the queen, collect the payment, become a legend. He's done this many times before. Murder is second nature to him. ...Then why is this so difficult?
1. The Deal

Eryn sat alone in the corner of the dimly lit tavern, swirling his drink in its glass studying the other patrons. Some came to drown themselves in flagons of alcohol, trying to forget their troubles. Others were there simply to avoid the raging storm outside. But Eryn? Eryn was there on a more personal venture. He always found himself conducting some sort of shady business either in a dark alley under the cover of night or in a secluded cabin, far away from any unnecessary eyes. That was simply the nature of his craft.

He was a thin and lanky man, due to the demands of his profession. Along the right side of his gaunt face, underneath his hazel eyes, was a long faded scar that ran down his cheek which disappeared into his thin, cleanly shaven beard. He considered it a trophy from his job in Drusselstein, disposing of some hapless noble. His hair was always shaggy and unkempt, as he never truly had a moment's rest to properly tend to it. In the three years of this profession, Eryn simply grew used to it.

Eryn began tapping his hand on the table impatiently. A week ago he had received a mysterious letter requiring his services and to meet him in this very tavern at 7. He took a watch out of his brown travelling coat to check the time. It was approaching 7:15. Eryn pouted with frustration and shoved the watch back into his pocket. Just then, a figure approached his table, its face obscured by the long black traveling cloak it was wearing.

"It's quite warm out, isn't it?" the figure asked. His voice was old and eccentric, like an aging politician. Eryn smirked at the question.

"Sweltering," Eryn replied as his smirk turned into a glare. "You're late."

"Forgive me, I was not expecting to be as delayed as I was," the cloaked man grunted, taking a seat, "damn this country and its unpredictable weather."

"Karnisvarne is always like this, I'm afraid," Eryn growled, " But I'm sure you didn't want to meet me to discuss the weather now, did you?"

The mystery man sat on a stool as he reached within his cloak and produced a small roll of parchment tied with a ribbon. Eryn grabbed the parchment, undid the ribbon and began reading the note:

_ATTENTION, ALL ABLE BODIED MEN AND WOMEN! The Arendelle Royal Guard is now accepting positions. All those who are seeking a challenge should report to Arendelle Castle no later than Wednesday the 25th at noon. Come forth for Glory and Honor!_

_-Captain Torvond of Arendelle_

Eryn studied the note for a few more seconds as he scratched his head. "You sound a bit old for a soldier's life, don't you?" Eryn asked after a while.

"I'm not the one enlisting," the old man replied, "You are."

"And why, pray tell, would I do that? I'm no soldier."  
"But you are an assassin, are you not?"

Eryn paused, narrowing his emerald eyes at the mysterious figure, "What are you getting at?"

The man reached back into his cloak and produced a large sack, which he threw onto the table. Eryn opened the bag cautiously. It was completely filled with gold coins, glistening in the candlelight!

"Alright, you've peaked my interest," Eryn chuckled, taking a swig of his drink, "So, Who am I killing?"

"The queen of Arendelle," the man answered. Eryn choked on his drink at the response.

"I'm sorry, what?" he sputtered as liquor dribbled down the front of his coat.

"I need the queen disposed of," the figure said calmly, "Is there a problem for a self proclaimed _master assassin?"_

"Can I ask why you need the queen killed?"

"She's a witch, a sorceress. She needs to be destroyed."

"And you think they'll let any fool bearing the colors of Arendelle near the queen?"

"It's simply a way for you to get closer to the inner workings of the castle. It'd be much easier than going in as a random citizen."

Eryn regained his composure and contemplated the man's offer. A part of him told himself that this was a ploy to off him, much like that incident in London. Eryn still had the goose egg from when that whore beat him over the head with a parasol. He decided to try and call the old fool's bluff. "Even then," He laughed, patting the sack of coins, causing them to jingle, "This paltry purse of coins can never justify killing a monarch. I need a little more than this to risk my life on some… _fool's _errand."  
The shady figure quickly threw three more bags onto the table, causing Eryn's jaw to drop. "This is half of my offer," the shady figure explained, "Bring me the head of the queen of Arendelle, and you'll receive the rest."

Eryn sat there dumbfounded at the man's offer. He already had his retirement fund sitting on the table between the two of them, and the fool was offering more! _He really wants this "witch" dead_ Eryn thought to himself, his mouth forming a cocky grin. "Alright," he said, "When does the bitch need to die?"

"Whenever, just kill her and return to this tavern when the deed is done… I'll be waiting."

With that, the figure stood up, turned around, and proceeded to hastily disappear into the crowd. Eryn pulled out a coin from one of the sacks that laid before him and flipped it around in his hands. He studied the symbol on the face as the coin shimmered in the candlelight. The Duchy of Weselton's symbol was embossed into the gold disc. _What was a man from Weselton doing this far north? _Eryn thought to himself.

Ever since that foolish duke completely soiled relations with Arendelle nearly one year ago, tensions between the two has been incredibly restricted. Any fool caught here in Arendelle with anything from Weselton would have a hundred guards on his ass in a second. Eryn gave the shady old bastard some credit, risking everything on finding some hired killer to off the queen. Made sense that he would come to the Karnisvarne. No one in this town had any love for a monarchy that neglected them, who spent most of their time in the capital and not in some backwards farming province. Eryn really only knew two things about the queen: that she had ice magic, and that she had a sister. At least, that's all that the travellers he met talked about when the queen came up in conversation.

Eryn grinned at the idea of killing that harlot in the north. Not only for the wealth, but for the glory of it all. Any fool could off some peasant or some low ranking noble. But when a monarch is killed? The one who pulled the trigger goes down in history as a legend! Eryn grinned at the thought of becoming a legend in his own right.

He called the young barmaid over to his table. As she approached, Eryn took a few coins out of one of the bags and shoved them towards her. "Another round, sweetheart," he said, winking at the woman. The barmaid ran back to the tap and returned with a frothy tankard in her hand and took the coins she was offered. Eryn thanked her as he brought the tankard to his lips.

Tonight, he would drink all that he could.

Tomorrow, he would begin planning for the queen's death.


	2. The Queen and the Assassin

The morning was dreary in Karnisvarne. The rain from last night caused a thick fog to blanket the small town. If there weren't people out and about, the town would have looked long abandoned. Dirt roads were completely transformed into thick puddles of mud, causing wagons to sink into the Earth. The buildings looked like they were built during the days of the Vikings, with roofs of straw and walls of rotting wood. The air was thick with the smell of animal manure and alcohol. Every building in Karnisvarne had a thin layer of grime covering the outside walls. The cleanest looking building was the tavern, but even then it looked completely decrepit and worn from time. The whole province was similarly suffering, due to the indifference of the government in the north.

Eyrn was in the stables behind the tavern preparing his horse, Magni, for the journey to Arendelle proper. It was only a few days since the mysterious man commissioned him for the assassination of the queen, and most of it was spent preparing for his mission. He double checked that he had all the necessities on him: his forged documents, his alias and backstory, and, most importantly, his sacks of gold. The only other things on his person were the clothes on his back and his personal dagger, with an ebony grip and nordic runes engraved into the blade. Everything else he needed was being handled by his contacts in the capital. As he fastened the cinch on the chestnut stalllion's underbelly, he heard a deep gruff voice from behind him.

"Off on another job, eh Eryn?"

He quickly turned around to find a stout bald man with a beard as white as snow leaning against the stable door. His right eye was devoid of color, with a scar draping itself over it. Eryn smiled warmly at the man as he approached him.

"You could say that, Rolond," Eryn chuckled, "Any reason to leave Karnisvarne is a good enough reason."

Rolond let out a hearty laugh before saying, "Can't argue with that! So, where's the gold taking ya this time?"

"I'm heading for the capital."

Rolond cocked an eyebrow at him, "Is that so? What sorry bastard's getting the knife then?"

Eryn hesitated before stepping towards his friend and whispering, "The queen. Someone wants her dead."

The short man let his jaw drop and his working eye go wide. "Eryn Odrikson, ya crazed bastard, have ya lost yer damn mind?" Rolond scolded, "Even if ya get close enough to try for her, that bitch'll jam an icicle through yer heart before you've raised yer blade. It's a fool's errand!"

"A fool's errand maybe," Eryn responded making his way back to Magni, "but it's a highly lucrative fool's errand." He opened his saddlebag to reveal the fortune the mysterious man gave him. Rolond stared at Eryn's pay, stroking his beard with intrigue. "This is only half," Eryn continued in a hushed tone, "The rest comes after she's dead."

"Gold is always an alluring mistress, isn't she?"

"It's all I ever need. Aside from you, of course."

"Ah, I see the same Eryn I met all those years ago still lives in that head of yer's," Rolond shook his head, chuckling warmly. His expression turned serious. "So ya do the deed, then what?"

The thin man pondered for a moment. "I return to Karnisvarne, collect the money, and leave this hellish kingdom for good," Eryn answered, "I was thinking of going off to Corona or the Southern Isles. As long as it's not Arendelle, I'll be happy."

"Lad," Rolond sighed wearily, "ya can't just act off the seat of yer pants. One of these days, it'll be yer downfall."

Eryn returned to Magi as he finished saddling the horse. "Rolond, I've got experience in this sort of thing," he reassured the short man, "besides, I already have a plan in motion as we speak."

Rolond dropped his arms in defeat. "Guess there's no changin' yer mind. Just be careful, lad."

"I always am," grunted Eryn as he hoisted himself over Magni's back. He then reached into the saddlebag and tossed one of the sacks to Rolond, who barely caught it. "For you and Astrid," he explained as Rolond opened his mouth in confusion.

"Ya didn't have to do that, lad," Rolond said, "But thank ye."

"Least I could do for all the years you looked after me."

Rolond bid his friend farewell and walked out towards the town center. Once he was gone, Eryn dug his boots into the stallion's sides. "Magni," he shouted, "bevege seg!"

Magni bolted out of the stables with blinding fury. Eryn pulled on the reins to move the horse northwards. Within a few minutes, the town of Karnisvarne vanished behind the road. Eryn didn't care to give the town a second glance. His focus was on the capital. It was about a half day's journey from Karnisvarne to Arendelle proper, and Eryn wished to get there as soon as possible.

The sooner he got to the capital, the sooner he'd become a legend.

XXXXX

Elsa sat at her desk, rubbing her temple as she read over the document. It was another report of bandits in the north, causing havoc on the farmlands and straining the kingdom's food supply. She had already sent two garrisons up there to secure the provinces, but to no avail. This came after the third request from Weselton to reopen trade negotiations that week. She hesitated to discuss anything with that rat of a duke, ever since the events of her coronation two years ago. All of this, plus helping Anna and Kristoff plan out their wedding, placed a great deal of stress on the young queen. If she wasn't dropping the temperature of any room she was in, she was involuntarily summoning flurries during important meetings with dignitaries. She felt as if the whole world was falling in on her.

She lifted her quill from its inkwell and reached for a roll of blank parchment. With as much elegance and grace as she could gather she began jotting down her reply:

Governor Haadrikson,

I understand that the situation is dire in the north, but the military is spread thin as it is. We are unable to send any more reinforcements at the moment until I can get an approval to increase military spending. For the time being, I will be sending Captain Torvond to assist your men in fighting off these bandits. You'll find that his combat expertise exceeds most regular soldiers.

Regards,

Queen Elsa of Arendelle

As she was finishing up writing her letter, she heard a loud knock on her office door.

"Come in," Elsa said, with as much regality as possible. The door flung open as Anna walked in, wearing her favorite green dress. Elsa smiled warmly at her younger sister

"Hey, Elsa!" the redhead exclaimed, "What'cha doin?"

"Just sorting out the issues in the north… again," Elsa sighed, "More bandit raids, it looks like."

"Really?" Anna asked as she approached her sister's desk, "How many soldiers are up there? There has to be at least half of the army stationed in Nordlund!"

"Not quite, but enough to be concerned. I'm sending Captain Torvond to investigate the situation."

Anna quickly looked over the mess of letters and reports scattered around Elsa's desk. "Y'know, for someone so neat and tidy you really like messing up your desk," Anna joked as she picked up one of the documents. It was another monthly financial report form the minister of the treasury… from two months ago. "Are you sure you don't need my help? I mean, I was trained to do this too, you know."

"I'm fine, Anna," Elsa responded, "I wouldn't want to distract you from your wedding planning."

Anna cocked an eyebrow at her sister. "So what about before we started planning? You wouldn't let me help you then, either."

"Because back then I didn't need any help." Elsa furrowed her eyebrows in frustration.

"Elsa…" Anna placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, with a calming voice. "You shouldn't dump all of the responsibility of ruling on yourself. Like I told you, I'll always be here to help." The queen gave Anna a warm smile as she rested her hand on Anna's.

"If you want to help me," Elsa said as she rose from her chair with her letter in hand, "I could use some company to deliver this letter to Captain Torvond."

"Really? Sure!" Anna tackled Elsa in a big hug. The two sisters then left the office and made their way towards the training grounds.

XXXXXX

Eyrn sat at the top of the cliff as he looked down on Arendelle. It had been several years since he had set foot in the streets of the capital, and he wasn't exactly thrilled to be back. Despite this, he still had a job to do. It's simple Eryn thought to himself, Go in, kill the whore, get out before anyone notices. Eryn snapped on Magni's reigns as he trotted down the cobble road into the town.

Tonight, he thought, Eryn Odrikson becomes a legend.


	3. The Attempt

The training grounds of the Arendellian Royal Guard were lively with the sound of metal clanging and war cries of young men and women dressed in the forest green uniform of Arendelle. Few of the trainees noticed that the queen and crown princess had made their way into the courtyard, hands clasped together. Those that did almost immediately stopped and saluted the monarchs as they passed by. Many of them started sharing whispers and others were unfortunate to be on the receiving end of their partner's weapons who didn't see the two pass through.

Elsa was always nervous when she came through the training grounds. She remembered years ago when she accompanied her father to the grounds and got so scared that she ended up freezing the floor. At least two people slipped and were hospitalized that day, and Elsa wasn't allowed in the grounds since. The memories of that day caused Elsa to quicken her pace as she went to Captain Torvond's quarters.

Anna, on the other hand, was in awe of what she saw. The energy, the excitement, the _swords! _As a child, Anna looked up to warriors, like Joan of Arc and Boudica. Their legends gave her the strength to endure the years of isolation she faced. Despite this, she was never allowed to visit the grounds, because her carelessness caused concern for the captain of the guard at the time. She wished she could study the tactics of the soldiers a little longer, but was abruptly jerked by Elsa as she started to lightly jog past all the lingering eyes and into the captain's quarters across the field.

XXXXXX

Eryn guided Magni through the town center, scanning the crowds for any familiar face. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head as he passed a group of guards, in case they recognized him. As he looked over the throngs of people going about their day, his contempt for these high-class _snobs_ grew. These fucks were living in the lap of luxury, compared to what he has been through. He lost everything in the name of Arendelle, and for what? A life filled with misery and death. Eryn's stomach knotted itself at the hatred and contempt he felt for this damnable kingdom. _The sooner the queen dies, the soon I get out of this hellhole_, he thought. He scanned the crowds again. Nothing unusual, save for a man speaking in a goofy voice to his reindeer. Eryn watched in horror as the same man drew a carrot out of his pants, let the reindeer take a bite, and then proceeded to eat the rest. He could still make out reindeer spit on the half eaten carrot. Eryn almost vomited on the spot.

"We are _never _doing that!," Eryn said to Magni. The horse blew hot air out of his nostrils. Scanning the crowds again as he hitched Magni to a post, blocking the horrific sight he beheld from his mind, he noticed a man sitting on a bench up against a series of buildings, reading a newspaper. The man looked to be about the same age as Eryn, only much bulkier and with red hair. The assassin sat beside the man, pretending not to care, and studied the newspaper.

"You realize that paper is over two weeks old, do you?" Eryn inquired. The man looked to his left and studied Eryn. He minutely moved closer to Eryn and began speaking in hushed tones.

"You're here much earlier than expected."

"Bah," Eryn scoffed, "You know how I am, always eager to get a job done."

The man scoffed in return at Eryn's snarky reply.

"So…" Eryn leaned in towards the man. "Is everything in place?"

XXXXXX

Captain Torvond read over the letter carefully as Elsa and Anna stood before him. His quarters weren't exactly regal material, but it sufficed for important meetings like this one. There was only room for his bed, his desk, and a trunk where his uniforms and personal items were stored. The three of them took up a great deal of available space, especially Torvond. He was a large man, with broad shoulders and a bulky torso. He easily towered over the queen and princess. As he read the letter, he twirled his auburn mustache in his free hand

"Do you understand what needs to be done, Lineaus?" Elsa asked.

The captain rolled the letter back up and tied it with a twine string. "Yes, your majesty. I'll keep you updated with whatever I find." He gave Elsa a warm smile. "You have my word."

Elsa returned the smile to him. "Thank you, Lineaus." With that, Elsa and Anna departed the captain's quarters.

The walk back to the castle was pleasant. Elsa loved to walk through the town, seeing all of the smiling faces as she passed by. The two sisters were quiet until Anna began nudging Elsa's side.

"So… Lineaus is kinda cute, isn't he?" Anna teased.

"Anna!" the queen scolded, "You're getting married! How could you say that?"

"I may be getting married, but you're still available."

Elsa's face burned a bright red. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, C'mon, Elsa! You know the council has been getting on your case about finding an heir to-"

"To continue the succession, I know, I know! It's just that- well… I don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment."

"Well, whenever you're ready, you won't have to look too far. Every man in Europe seems to be drawn to you."

"Don't remind me."

The two sisters started laughing as they made their way back to the castle. As they crossed the town center, few people gave them much attention. They grew so accustomed to seeing the royals out and about that they didn't stick out as much. Elsa sort of liked not being the center of attention. She appreciated the ability to blend into the crowds. She liked studying the crowds to see the different kinds of people in Arendelle. It was methodical and helped ease her mind of all the stress of ruling.

The serenity of her walk back to the castle was interrupted by a man shouting, "DIE WITCH!" and gunshots.

XXXXXX

"What the _hell _do you mean you aren't done preparing?" Eryn sneered in hushed tones. "You had a whole week to sort this out!"

"Eryn," the man explained quietly, "It's not like we're setting up to kill the local beggar or something. This is a _monarch _we're talking about."

"How much longer do you need?!"

"Just one more day, then everything will be in place, guaranteed."

Eryn angrily went back to studying the crowds, silently cursing the incompetence of his contact. All of his planning, all of his preparation, all gone to waste! He muttered a few curse words as he sat hunched over, burying his face in his hands. It was then he saw someone that caught his attention. It was a young woman, somewhere around his own age. She wore a dazzling blue dress and sported a platinum blonde braid that was draped over her shoulder. Her skin was as serene and beautiful as porcelin. She looked like an angel in human form. Eryn was curious as to who this mystery woman was and why no one seemed to be paying attention to her as she walked by. Any man in Karnisvarne would have at least complimented her in some shape or form. He sat there for a minute, puzzled at the whole situation.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw rapid movement from a crowd around the town center. He jerked his head to see what the commotion was about. From there, he could point out a slightly older man, whose face was wrinkled and worn from the passing of time. What hadn't been worn was the revolver he had gripped in his hand and the raging fury burning in his eyes. Eryn soon noticed that the old man's gaze was on the woman he was puzzled by earlier.

"Dear God," Eryn muttered as he bolted from the bench.

"Eryn wait-!" Eryn's contact exclaimed, but it was too late. Eryn had disappeared into a throng of people, out of earshot.

Eryn shoved his way through the sea of people, desperately trying to get to the old man. He finally saw the old man, who had raised the gun and was about to fire. Without hesitation, Eryn tackled the old man to the ground as he pulled the trigger. The crowd screamed and fled in a panicked state. Enraged, Eryn tried to wrestle the gun from the old man's hand. He picked up the old fool and slammed him onto the cobblestone, causing the cracks to run red. The old man then sucker punched Eryn in the jaw, which forced him off of the would be assassin. He spat out blood as he unsheathed his dagger and pointed it at the man. The old man in turn aimed his gun at Eryn, anger flooding his eyes. Eryn dashed at the assassin with blinding fury. In an instant, his blade slashed at the man's gut. As he doubled over, Eryn buried his dagger into the assassin's back. The attempted killer slumped over, motionless. Eryn breathed a sigh of relief as he fell to the cobblestone. He scanned the area to find the mystery woman, hoping she wasn't hurt, but she was nowhere to be found. Eryn wondered what the woman had done to draw the ire of this would be assassin. _Old fool was much too sloppy _Eryn thought, _Broke the first rule of killing: don't announce you're going to kill someone_. Before he knew it, a group of soldiers swarmed him, pointing their weapons directly at him.

"Get up, ya swine!" One of the guards shouted.

"Come the fuck on…" Eryn muttered to himself as he was hoisted onto his feet and dragged to the castle.


	4. The Offer

"Your majesty, are you and Princess Anna alright?" a guard asked Elsa as her and Anna made it to the courtyard. Elsa was panting heavily, gasping for air from the intense running she did. She never knew she could run that fast. She never _had _to. The young queen took a moment to regain her composure before responding.

"Yes, we're both fine. Has the assassin been apprehended?"

"Some of the guards have reported that a commoner took the assailant's life."

"Any idea who it is?"

"Not yet, ma'am. We've found what we believe to be his horse near the market and we're investigating it now."

"Where is this mystery person?"  
"He's been taken to the infirmary. He went unconscious as he was being brought in."

"Unconscious?"  
"It appears that this man took a bullet to the chest. The medical staff claim it's a miracle that he survived the ordeal."

"Notify me when he wakes. Until then, double the patrols around the castle. Make sure no one enters the castle until further notice."

"Should we close the gates ma'am?"  
Elsa glanced over at Anna. She was pacing back and forth with a scowl on her face, muttering that she could have taken whoever decided to shoot at them.

"No," Elsa replied, "I made a promise to never close the gates again. Doubled patrols will suffice for now."

"Very well, your majesty." With that, the guard ran off to spread the orders from the queen.

Elsa walked over to Anna, cradling herself in her arms. Anna was still pacing and muttering furiously.

"Whoever shot at me and my sister is lucky that I didn't come after them! I could've- Oh!" The princess stopped her rant when she saw her sister step towards her with a worried look on her face. "Elsa, is everything okay?"

"Y-yes," Elsa said nervously, "Just a little startled is all."

"At least we're safe. But _oooooh,_ whoever did that better have been ready for a fight if he thinks he can just shoot at us. If I-"

"You won't have to worry about that, Anna. I've just been told someone took care of the assassin for us."

"Then why do you look so shaken?"

"How are you _not? _We could've died today!"

"You have your powers, you could have easily-"

"But you don't have powers, Anna! What would you have done?"

Anna hesitated for a second. "Well- I- uh, hmmm…"

Before Anna could think of what to say next, she was interrupted by the sound of someone sprinting towards them. The two sisters turned and saw Kristoff running as fast as he could, the same shock and fear that shrouded Elsa's face covering his own. He slowed down as he reached Anna, gasping for air. "The guards just told me what happened," Kristoff panted, "I should've been there with you guys. If you had gotten hurt or worse-"

"Hey, don't think about that," Anna reassured him as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "We're fine, neither of us are hurt." Kristoff placed his hands around his fiance's waist and drew her into a loving embrace. Elsa smiled at the two, happy that her sister found someone who actually loves and cares for her. Her thoughts soon drifted to the assassination attempt. It made her realize how vulnerable she had made not only herself, but Anna as well. Leaving the castle on lockdown wasn't going to solve anything. She knew she had to come up with a more permanent solution.

Just as she was thinking about what to do next, a guard had approached her from behind.

"Your majesty," she began, "the mystery man has awoken. I was told to inform you when he did. Would you like me to take you to him?"

Elsa looked back at her sister and soon to be brother-in-law. She turned back to the guard and said, "Yes, let's go." With that, she followed the guard through the castle to the infirmary.

XXXXXX

Eryn groaned as he regained consciousness. His head felt like it was submerged in water. He opened his eyes, one by one, expecting to be greeted with the ceiling of a dungeon or a prison. Instead, he found a rather old and weathered man hovering over him. Eryn quickly shot up, only stopping when a sharp pain spiked through his chest. The old man gingerly placed a hand on Eryn's chest, goading him to lie back down.

"Easy now, son," the old man said in a thick german accent, "You've taken quite ze beating out zere. It's a miracle you survived in ze first place."

Eryn looked down at his chest. His torso was wrapped in bandages, with a faint red stain over the left side of his breastplate.

"W-What happened?" Eryn asked, shocked.

"Vat happened? You vere shot, zat's vat happened!" the doctor laughed. "Und you are a very lucky man. Had zat bullet been only a few centimeters to ze right, it vould have gone through your heart."

Eryn sat there, processing the doctor's information. He's had a few close calls in his life, but this was about as close as he could imagine.

"Where am I? What is this place?"

"Vhy, You're in ze Arendelle Castle infirmary, mein friend. Ze guards tried to throw you into ze dungeons until you collapsed in ze courtyard."

The memories of the events that transpired had come flooding back to Eryn. He remembered the young woman, the fight with the old man, and the guards grabbing him. Eryn darted his eyes around the room. It was a fairly large area, filled with similar looking cots. Some of these cots had men and women laying in them, each plagued with different injuries and ailments. Scanning the room once again, he noticed something was missing.

"Where are my things? My satchel, my horse, _anything?"_

"Zose are being taken care of by ze guards. Zey couldn't find anyzing to identify you, so zey are looking through your belongings."

Eryn was caught off guard by the doctor's response. His mind began to race with worst case scenarios. He searched his mind for anything that could help him if the guards tried to wrestle information out of him. If they found out who he really was, he was done for!

Just then, a door swung open. Eryn tried to twist himself to see who it was, but the pain in his midsection kept the door out of his sight. All he could really do is listen to the conversation.

"Is this him?" someone asked. It sounded like a guard to Eryn. Woman by the tone.

"Ja, is she here?" the doctor responded.  
"Indeed, I'll send her in right away."

With that, the woman guard marched back to the door, spoke a few words to an unseen accomplice, and marched back to the doctor. This time, however, he heard the clicking of heels on stone accompanying the heavy stomps of the guard's boots. He lazily turned his head to find a rather interesting sight. The white haired woman from the square, the old man's target, was beside his bed. He was stunned by her beauty from afar, but now that she was this close to him, he was absolutely stunned by her looks.

"Well," Eryn smirked, "Fancy meeting you here."

"I take it you're the one who stopped that gunman in the square earlier?" the woman asked. Her voice was as smooth as silk.

"What can I say, I would hate for looks such as yours to go to waste."

The woman rolled her eyes as Eryn winked at her. She then turned to the doctor and the guard. "Can I discuss something in private with him? It'll be just for a moment."

Eryn studied the woman for a moment, combing over her figure with his eyes. He was mesmerized and puzzled by the creature before him.

_Looks rich to me, _Eryn thought, _Maybe she's here to give me a handsome reward._

"Very vell, your majesty," the doctor replied.

_I mean it'll help with the jo- _

"What did you just say?" Eryn asked in a hurried voice. He had to have misheard the doctor. Afterall, he was old and there was _no way _he'd-

"My queen, are you sure you wish to be left alone with this… complete stranger?" the guard asked. Eryn's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as his jaw dropped.

There was no denying it now: Eryn had unknowingly saved the Queen of Arendelle, _his_ target.

"I'm certain," the queen said, "now if you'll excuse us." She motioned them away

Eryn propped himself up on his arms as the doctor and guard began to walk away. A thousand thoughts raced through Eryn's mind, most of which were a variety of curse words directed at himself. He was baffled at the sight. Ever since he was young, he had the idea that queens were all old miserable hags with more wrinkles on them than a pig. But here in front of him was a young woman who looked like a gift from the old gods! _Damn this kingdom and damn myself _he thought.

Once the two were out of sight, the queen set her sights on Eryn, a gentle smile on her face. "Arendelle thanks you," she began, "Your brave deed saved the lives of both me and my sister. Is there any way we can repay you?"  
_Well, you can start by offing yourself, _Eryn thought bitterly.

"Don't mention it," he replied, "Anyone would have done the same."

"Can I at least have your name?"

"Excuse me?"

The queen giggled, "Well, if I'm to properly thank my hero, I should at least know his name."

Eryn racked his brain, desperately trying to remember his alias. After a moment, he finally pieced his memory back together. "Name's Derrik," he answered confidently, "Derrik Ormiester, your majesty."

"Now what brings you to Arendelle, Mr. Ormiester?"

"Oh, the normal things, sightseeing, fortune making, monarch saving." Eryn subtly gritted his teeth when he said "monarch saving." Luckily the queen didn't pick up on the disdain in his voice.

"Speaking of monarch saving," she chuckled, "I have something I would like to ask you."

_As if this couldn't get any worse, _Eryn thought. Not even five minutes into their conversation and he had thought of at least a dozen different ways to kill her.

"And what would that be?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Before she could deliver her question, the door to the infirmary swung open. Eryn slightly turned his head to see a burly guard approach the queen. In his hand, he held several papers and two familiar sacks. The queen looked at the guard with an annoyed expression. Eryn's heart sank into his stomach.

"My queen," the guard said as he saluted the monarch, "I do apologize for the intrusion. We've finished the investigation of the steed left in the square. It seems that it belonged to a 'Derrik Ormiester,' but we haven't found him yet."

"You're looking at him," Eryn interrupted coldly, "And what happened to the other sack? There were three!"  
The guard scowled at Eryn before continuing, "It appears that someone made off with one of the bags. But, that should be the least of your concerns." The guard untied one of the bags and drew out a small gold coin. "These coins," he explained, "are from Weselton. Both of these bags are filled with them."

The queen took the coin from the guard and studied it. She turned back to Eryn, a puzzled look plastered across her face. Eyrn was silently cursing the guard for losing part of his fortune.

"Why do you have all this money? And from _Weselton _of all places?" she asked.

"Uh- well…" Eryn racked his mind for an excuse at a feverish pace. "The truth is, I'm… the son of a minor noble in Weselton."

"Really?"

"Yes, yes. You see, my father had power over a small tract of land in Weselton, Unfortunately, he passed unexpectedly from… a hunting accident." The queen let out a small gasp. "At his funeral the duke claimed the land and estate as his, leaving me with only four sacks of gold to my name. So, I set my sights on Arendelle to rebuild my family fortune."

The queen placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand," she replied sympathetically, "The Duke has caused his own share of problems here."

Eryn feigned a look of sympathy. In reality, he was thinking of a way to actually finish his mission. He didn't care about some political disputes, he just wanted to kill the whore and be done with it. No amount of praise and 'heroic duty' would make him any richer, nor would it solidify his place in history. Only the blood of the woman in front of him would do that.

"However," the queen continued, "I can offer you a way to rebuild your fortune, if you wish."

To say Eryn was intrigued would be an understatement. "I'm listening…" he said, slightly turning his head.

"This attempt on the lives of me and my sister have made me realize how sparse our security is. I'm looking for someone who is able to provide that security. Someone… like you."

Eryn did a double take at the queen's words. "You want me… to be your bodyguard?"

"If you are willing. I won't force you."

Eryn's face lit up like a candle. Here he was, feeling stupid for accidentally saving his intended target. Now, she's here offering him the chance to be as close as he can possibly get to her. It's perfect! "I humbly accept the position, your majesty," he said.

"Excellent!" the queen returned the coin to the guard. "Have these sent to the guest room, the large one."

"Yes, Queen Elsa," the guard answered, a sense of uncertainty in his voice. With that, the guard exited the infirmary, leaving Eryn and Elsa alone.

"Once you're fully healed, report to me in my office," she said, "For now, just rest and let your wounds heal."

"As you wish," Eryn responded, faking a smile. He held his smile until she was out of eyesight. When he heard the door shut, his smile turned into a devious grin.

"Eryn, you crafty bastard," he muttered to himself as he placed his hands behind his head, "Even when you fuck up royally, things always tend to work out..."

_Author's note: Thank you all for the kind reviews! I see that someone has been asking whether or not Eryn is going to have any kind of magical powers. To be honest, I haven't decided yet, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for reading!_


	5. The Dagger

Eryn studied himself in the mirror thoroughly as he buttoned up his jacket. It had been a few days since he was fully healed from his "daring" rescue of the queen and princess. He ended up stumping the medical staff with his recovery. None of the doctors or nurses could explain what had happened, just that one day the wound disappeared, as if nothing had happened. "You should have been bedridden for weeks!" the doctors would say, "It's a miracle you can even _walk_." Each time they talked about Eryn's recovery he would respond with some snide comment on the "miracles of modern science." If it kept them off his case, then it was a sound solution.

The queen wasn't kidding when she called this guest room "the larger one." Eryn noted that you could fit an entire company of guards in here and you would still have room to breathe comfortably. The only pieces of furniture in the entire room were a queen sized bed, a dresser, and the large mirror Eryn was suiting himself up in front of. Instead of wearing worn and dirty travelling clothes, he now wore a forest green jacket and a pair of gray pants, the official colors of the Arendellian guards. He harbored a deep resentment for these clothes. They brought back… _unpleasant _memories of his younger years. Eryn suppressed those memories as much as he could. What happened in the past had happened. His future was awaiting him in her office.

He surveyed his person one last time to make sure he looked as neat and tidy as possible. If he were to kill the queen, he should at least look good while doing so. Despite that, he felt as if something was missing. He peered down to his left thigh and saw that the sheathe he had was empty. His dagger was missing! Eryn spun around and scanned the room for the blade, but to no avail. _Damn knife, _he thought as he let out a groan, _guards must've taken it when they dragged me in. _The dagger had been in his possession since he was a child, and he and it were near inseparable. To him, the dagger was an extension of himself.

Slightly annoyed, Eryn stuck out his hand as he called forth the blade mentally. Dark tendrils emerged from under his sleeve as they wrapped around his hand. He felt his energy drain as if he were running a marathon. He could almost feel the dagger in his clutch-

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!_

Eryn jerked his head towards the door as someone rapped loudly on it. The tendrils evaporated from his hand and he no longer felt the dagger. Cold sweat covered his brow as his breath became ragged. Eryn let out a string of curse words under his breath as he walked over to the door. As he swung the door open, he expected to be greeted by the captain of the guard or a member of the castle staff. At first, he didn't see anyone. Eryn bunched his eyebrows together in frustration until someone said, "Uh, down here." when he looked down to find who said that, he was immediately taken aback. A snowman only about waist high stood at his door, grinning at him as if it never once had a thought in its life. A small cloud hovered above his head, occasionally dropping snowflakes onto the being.

"Hi," it said, waving its stick of an arm up to him, "I'm-"  
"Jesus Christ!" Eryn blurted out.

"Good guess, but nope! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Eryn tried to process the talking snowman in front of him. _Maybe that bullet wound affected my head more than I thought_ he pondered. He carefully reached down to the snowman and poked at his head. His finger was immediately met with cold and wetness. There was no denying it: there was a real walking, talking snowman in front of him.

"How in the-"

"It's a long story. I can tell it to you on the way to Elsa's office, if you want. I'm good at telling stories!"

"Then I take it the queen sent you here?"

"Yep! She forgot to tell you where her office is, so she sent me to get you! Let's go!" Olaf then proceeded to waddle down the hallway, humming cheerfully to himself. Eryn quickly strode to keep up with the snowman, wondering how he managed to get himself into this situation.

_One story later… _

"So let me get this straight, the queen _freezes _the entire kingdom, runs off into the mountains, and nearly _**kills**_ her own sister, and everyone is fine with it because… _true love?_" Eryn asked in disbelief after hearing the snowman's account of the previous year's events. He was secretly impressed to see that a being with no brain recount so much with such detail.

"Yep!" Olaf said without hesitation, "Isn't it great? Now we're getting ready for a big wedding and I get to help!" the snowman began bouncing with each step. Eryn smirked at the snowman's giddiness. Eryn always loved weddings, not because he was a romantic, but because of how much easier his job was during one. The combination of alcohol, festivities, and general merriment made people drop their guard. A perfect time to, say, kill the queen of Arendelle while the guards were watching over the reception. Eryn loved it when things worked out like this.

Olaf kept rambling as he guided Eryn to the queen's office. He talked about everything, from the different kinds of snow to useless trivia about the castle staff. Eryn's brain began to numb from the snowman's drabbling, hoping he would shut up. He shifted his concentration to the castle itself. Eryn made a mental note at each hallway, each guard, and each possible escape route, if needed. While he was observing his surroundings, he didn't notice that Olaf stopped until he tripped over the snowman. Eryn fell to the ground with a thud.

"_Fuck!" _he groaned as he scrambled off of the floor. His head began throbbing as he massaged the area that struck the ground,

"What's 'fuck' mean?" Olaf asked, unphased that he caused Eryn to trip.

Eryn stared into the snowman's innocent eyes."Uh… nothing."  
"You hesitated."

"Does it matter?"

"Why say it if it doesn't mean anything?"

"Wha- Why did you stop?!"

"Because we're here!" the snowman gestured widely to the door in front of him. It was a large door, with intricate carvings adorning its face. Eryn scrambled off of the floor and readjusted his uniform as he faced the door.

"T-thank you, Olaf, was it?" Eryn said as he regained his composure.

"You're welcome!" Olaf exclaimed, "I'm gonna go find Anna, maybe she'll know what that word means!" With that, Olaf began to waddle away, humming to himself as he always did.

Eryn watched as the snowman bounded around the corner and out of sight. He was still unsure if it was actually real or a product of a concussion. Eryn shook his confusion away and turned his attention to the door.

He had no time to be confused while there was a murder to plot…

XXXXXX

Elsa let out a groan in frustration. She had realized that she had misspelled yet another word in her letter to the newly coronated Queen of Corona, which she was about half a page's worth into by the time she noticed the error. Silently muttering to herself, she reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment. Flattening it out on her desk, the queen began copying the words on the old draft onto the new one, careful as to not make the same mistake agai-

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

Elsa let out a surprised squeak as her body shot up from her writing position. "Uh- Come in," she grumbled. Looking down at her parchment, she noticed a large ink smear jutting from where she was writing. The queen said a few curse words under her breath as the door creaked open. She looked up from her mistake and saw Derrik standing before her desk, dressed in the traditional Arendellian Guardsman clothes.

"Your Majesty," he announced as he gave a small bow.

"Ah, Mr. Ormiester, welcome," Elsa said with a warm smile, "Glad to see your fully recovered. I would have guessed you would've been hospitalized for a few more weeks."

"It surely isn't the worst thing that's happened to me," he chuckled, "But that's neither here nor there. How may I be of service to you?"

Elsa pondered his question for a second. "Well," she began, "Anna asked me to help her with some wedding plans, so we'll need an escort around the town."

"Ah, yes, the snowman mentioned there was a wedding in the works. When shall we depart?"

Elsa looked down at her botched parchment and sighed. "After I finish this letter, I've been working on this for hours."

Derrik gave her a look of concern. "Hours? You must be exhausted! Are you sure you're able to-"

"I'm fine. I've got it this time. Shouldn't take me more than a few minutes."

Derrik sighed lightly. "Very well, ma'am. I shall wait outside when you're done then."

"Thank you, Derrik."

With that, Derrik opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Elsa sighed as she reached into her drawers to retrieve a new piece of parchment paper. She was shocked, to say the least, when she found that her supply of parchment was empty. The queen groaned as she slammed her head onto her desk in defeat.

XXXXXX

As soon as he closed the door behind him, Eryn let his fake concern fade into a devious grin. He considered himself lucky when the queen offered him this bodyguard position. Now that she basically confirmed to him that she spends hours upon hours alone, _and _that she exhausts herself daily, he's certain that this will be the easiest job he's ever taken. The money, the fortune, all would be his in due time.

While he was reveling in the luck he found, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. He soon realized that he forgot to get his dagger once his hand brushed past its empty hilt. Eryn quickly scanned the immediate hallway to make sure no one was coming. Once he confirmed that the coast was clear, he extended his hand and called for the dagger in his mind. The shadowy tendrils shot out from his sleeve and enclosed his extended hand. Once he felt a defined shape, he clamped down onto the mass before him. Once the shadows dissipated, he saw the dagger resting in his clutch, its ebony hilt still as warm as when he last held it. The runes etched into the blade glowed a faint crimson. _Still a bit of magic left, eh? _He thought

_**No thanks to your stupidity, boy**_**, **the dagger called out in a faint, guttural voice in Eryn's mind, _**Do you realize how much I had to spend to keep you from dying?**_

_You still had enough to find me, that's all that matters,_ Eryn shot back in his mind.

_**It was still your fault that I was lost in the first place. You know you don't **_have _**to be the dashing hero all the time, right?**_

_Relax, my 'heroics' just gave us a direct line to the target._

_**Have they now? Maybe you're not as stupid as you let on.**_

_Just a few more days and we'll be ready to strike. This is one of the easiest jobs I've ever taken. Can you feel the excitement in the air?_

_**I'm a weapon. I have no feeling.**_

_Spoilsport._ Eryn then slotted the dagger in its sheath, just as he heard excited footsteps bounding down the hall. A young redheaded woman appeared before him, gasping for air as she slowed down.

"Is Elsa in there?" she asked in a ragged voice.

"I take it you're Princess Anna," Eryn responded, "The queen is finishing up a letter and will be out momentar-"

The young princess shoved him aside as she flung the door open and shut. Eryn was taken aback by how effortlessly she pushed him away. He wondered how such a small frame could pull off such a feat. Eryn didn't have much time to think, however, as the princess emerged with the queen in hand, who looked just as astonished as he did.

"Alright," the princess exclaimed, "Let's get going!" Anna then sprinted down the hallway with the queen in tow.

_**Easiest job you've ever taken, hmm? **_The blade teased.

_Shut up you flimsy butterknife! _Eryn responded as he dashed to keep up with the princess and the queen.


	6. The Tailor Shop

"How… the _HELL_… can one woman run… _THAT FAST?!"_

Eryn gasped for air as he clutched the doorframe to the tailor shop. For the past five minutes, he had been chasing the princess as she dragged the queen through the entire town. The scene had caught the attention of the masses around the city, which Eryn despised. Now people knew the royals were out and about, which means that _other _potential assassins would be moving to strike against the queen. Eryn was somewhat glad they managed to get away from the public eye when they entered the tailor shop. It was a fairly large store, with mannequins dressed in various attire lined up around the brightly lit room. The air was thick with the smell of perfume and violet, which made Eryn gag slightly. The queen and princess were currently sitting a few feet away with an elderly woman near the counter discussing… something or other, Eryn was too exhausted to pay attention.

It may have been the exasperation that resonated in Eryn's body, but some things weren't adding up in his mind. The man who hired him described the queen as "a witch" and "a monster." Eryn had a hard time seeing how exactly this woman was capable of such evil to be labeled as such. Everyone they passed through the town either ignored her or gave a pleasant hello. And for that matter, he wasn't sure how someone (or _any_one, for that matter) like her could have such magical prowess to encase the kingdom in an eternal winter. He hadn't even seen her use her magic! Eryn started to think that those stories about the queen's magic were nothing more than flights of fancy from fools who thought they were in some fairy tale. Or drunkards. Or both, for that matter. Eryn decided to seek some "expert advice" on the matter.

_Oi, you can sense magic in others right? _Eryn thought, projecting his thoughts to the dagger at his side.

_**Of course I can, boy…**_ the dagger responded, slightly annoyed, _**What do you take me for?**_

_Does the queen really possess magic then?_

The dagger took a moment to respond. _**Yes. Most definitely. By the Old Ones, her power is quite impressive! I'm not even sure if **_**she** _**knows how much power she possesses. **_

_Is that good or bad?_

_**Mmmm… Hard to say. This will require much more attention, though it does make our job slightly harder.**_

Eryn fixated his eyes on the queen. No one has ever gotten that kind of reaction from the blade. It both fascinated and deeply terrified him_._

"Now then," the old hag said in a raspy yet upbeat voice, "if you can follow me, your highness, we can start with the measurements."

The princess was radiating excitement through the entire room. It was as if she forgot that just a few days ago someone tried to kill her and the queen. The elderly woman slowly got up from her chair (Eryn was certain he heard something in the broad's body squeak) and the princess followed suit.

"Should I go back with you?" The queen asked.

"That isn't necessary, your majesty," the old woman answered, "we won't be long."

"A-alright. I'll be out here once your done."

The old woman gave the queen a grin. "Why don't you look around while we're gone. I'm sure you will be in my store one of these days getting fitted for your wedding dress."

The queen's face turned bright pink at the old woman's suggestion, who let out a small chuckle. The princess gave the queen a quick embrace before bolting away with the elderly woman behind a dark blue curtain. It was at that point Eryn perked up and felt his exhaustion dissipate as he came up with a daring yet stupid plan.

_**Don't. You. Dare. **_The dagger scolded, reading his thoughts

_C'mon, they'll be in there for who knows how long, _Eryn reassured_, All I have to do is kill her and we're off! Easy._

_**Since when has that ever worked? Do you remember London?**_

_That whore knew more than she let on. Besides, there are no witnesses here. With a bit of magic we can make this as quick and painless as possible._

The dagger let out a defeated sigh. _**I have only a little bit left. Once I use it, you won't have any more until she's dead.**_

_That shouldn't take long, then. Let's get moving._

_**Don't blame me when you're trapped in an ice block.**_

Eryn felt a surge of energy course through his body as he casually raised his hand towards where the princess and the tailor shop owner were. Small darts of darkness flew from his fingertips to the curtain they were behind. _Should keep them from hearing any screams _he thought. He then delicately shut the door as he unsheathed the blade from its holster, ready for the kill.

XXXXXX  
Elsa sighed at the events that had transpired. She was getting incredibly tired of the constant reminders of her marriage status. It was one thing to be asked by her advisors, but it was another thing to be asked by the common folk. Even if she wanted to seek a future husband, her duties as queen, along with the recent attempt on her life, had pushed that notion to the back of her mind. It felt like she had a thousand pound weight hanging on her shoulders

At least Anna was happy through all of this. Elsa remembered how estatic her sister was a few months ago when Kristoff proposed, how she teared up when he slipped the ring onto Anna's finger. She was glad Anna was getting the happily ever after she always wanted. It also helped that she had some piece of mind with Derrik around. While not by any means a permanent solution, the extra security made Elsa feel better, if only by a little bit.

The queen rose from her chair and began perusing the store, noting the various fabrics and bolts of cloth. She could easily have the royal tailors fashion Anna's dress, but the redhead insisted that it be done by Mrs. Rusgard, as she "put love in every stitch," as Anna put it. Besides, Elsa liked getting out of the castle every now and then to visit the smaller shops and such. It made her feel like a part of Arendelle, rather than just the queen. Elsa picked up a spool of red yarn, twisting it around in her hand. She never tried knitting, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try.

Before she had time to think about what to knit, however, she found herself forced onto the ground.

XXXXXX

Eryn wasn't sure what just happened. He was silently striding towards the queen, dagger in hand and ready to strike, when he lost his footing and fell face forward into her. The two of them slammed onto the floor with a loud THUD. Eryn groaned in pain as he propped himself up onto his arms. Reorienting himself, he looked down and saw the queen looking up to him completely shocked, her blue eyes the size of dinner plates. Her hair was slightly messed up as well, with random strands falling out of place. Eryn felt his heart race as he stammered, "Um, so-sorry ma'am, must've uh- tripped on something."

"O-Oh no it's fine," the queen responded as her face grew pink, "I've done that a couple of times." Eryn quickly jumped to his feet as he helped the queen off the floor. As she put her hand in his, Eryn couldn't help but notice how soft they were. As the queen fixed her hair, running her hand through her platinum locks, Eryn felt a surge of warmth across his face and his heartbeat grow rapidly. The assassin wasn't sure what was going on. He didn't have much time to ponder, as the princess and the old woman came out from the curtain.

"Okay, Elsa, we- oh!" the princess exclaimed as the old woman lightly chuckled.

"Well, well, well," the woman chortled, "I see the queen of Arendelle has finally found a man."

Eryn looked down and realized he still had the queen's hand in his. He quickly snapped his hand back, clasping it behind his back, and directed his attention to the floor. Both his and the queen's faces were bright red from embarrassment.

"O-oh no," the queen sputtered awkwardly, "Derrik is just our bodyguard, he tripped and landed on me and-"

"Yes, yes," Eryn chimed in, "I- uh, lost my balance on… something or other." He quickly turned around and saw a basket of small spools spilt on the floor. "Ah! Here's the culprit," he announced, picking up the basket and replacing its contents.

"Ummmm, Elsa?" the princess said, "You might want to turn around."

With that, both Eryn and the queen shifted their gaze to the direction the princess was referring to. He saw that one of the mannequins was completely coated with a sheet of jagged ice, the clothing it was wearing ripped to shreds. He heard the queen let out a horrified gasp.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, turning to the old woman, "I'm so sorry, I'll happily pay for-"

The old woman raised her hand. "That won't be necessary. Between you and me, that old thing was attracting more moths than customers." The princess slightly giggled at the old woman's joke as the queen snapped her fingers. The ice covering the mannequin slowly evaporated before Eryn's eyes. Half of him was impressed at the queen's abilities. The other half, however, was deeply disturbed at the scale of the woman's power.

"I'm really sorry again, Mrs. Rusgard," her majesty murmured sheepishly.

"Not to worry, dear," the elderly woman reassured, "It was due to be replaced anyway."

Eryn dropped his gaze to where he and the queen had fallen. There he saw the dagger resting a few inches away, the runes no longer glowing. _Damn! _He thought, _I'm not going to hear the end of this…_

"Alright, where to next?" The queen asked the princess.

"Follow me!" The princess grabbed the queen's arm and bolted out of the store. Eryn quickly dashed over to grab his dagger.

"God damn it!" Eryn groaned, bolting after them with increased speed.

_Later that night…_

Eryn flopped onto his bed with a drawn out groan. He had been playing a game of keep-up with the royals for the past two hours as they traversed the city. His legs felt like jelly as his lungs cried out in pain. He was certain that the princess had some form of speed magic to not only be able to make such a mad dash around the city, but also while carrying another person in tow. Whatever it was, Eryn held a newfound respect for the young princess.

Despite his fatigue, Eryn began to mentally kick himself for what happened today. Never in the past twelve years has he fucked up as royally as he did in the tailor shop. He was supposed to be a master assassin, not some clumsy fool. This was even worse than the time in London, though luckily no one saw how awful he had messed up.

Eryn's thoughts soon settled on the events after he stumbled into the queen, how his heart began beating loudly in his chest, how the image of her disheveled hair made his face turn bright red. He dashed these thoughts from his mind. _It's probably something I ate,_ he thought to himself. Imagine if the dagger read his thoughts at that minut-

_SHIT, THE DAGGER!_

Eryn shot up in his bed. He unsheathed the dagger and inspected it. As he suspected, the runes etched into the blade were no longer glowing. He mentally tried to grab the dagger's attention, only to be met with silence. Eryn let out a frustrated sigh. He knew what had to be done if he wanted the dagger's assistance.

Without thinking twice, Eryn held his right hand open and placed the blade in the middle of his palm. Pressing the blade into his skin, he dragged the dagger across his hand, slightly wincing at the pain. Blood began leaking from his palm, dripping onto the sheets of his bed. He quickly placed the top side of the dagger underneath his fresh wound, allowing the blood to drip onto the runes. As soon as blood met steel, the carvings began glowing bright crimson. The dagger's voice soon followed, groaning as if awoken from a nap.

_**About time, Odrikson! I was wondering what took so long with- wait… This isn't the blood of the queen! I thought you said killing her was 'easy '.**_

_A slight miscalculation on my part, luckily she still doesn't suspect anything._Eryn reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a strand of cloth and wrapped it around his wound.

_**You need to exercise caution, boy. The goal is to kill the queen, not yourself.**_

_Tell me something I don't know. You were right about her having more power than she knows what to do with._

_**Is that the only thing I was right about?**_

_Go fuck yourself… _

_**Regardless, we should still plan out our next attack. Stumbling our way through this is damn near suicide.**_

_Agreed. What do you propose?_

_**We bide our time, use our position to uncover the weaknesses in the queen. Maybe through the princess or the snowman we can find some information that will be instrumental in her demise.**_

_I'm vetoing the snowman. Stupid pile of piss would probably get lost in an empty room, not very reliable for information._

_**Very well… we shall pry at the princess then.**_

_As long as I don't have to chase after her, that'll be fine._

With that, Eryn stabbed the dagger into the nightstand and flopped back onto the bed as he let his eyelids grow heavy with sleep.


	7. The Princess

"Your Majesty, is everything alright?"

Kai's question caused Elsa to quickly shoot up in her chair. Everyone in the room was staring at her: her financial advisor, her military advisor, Kai, even Anna and Olaf looked on in concern. The young queen quickly recomposed herself as she rearranged the loose pieces of parchment on her desk.

"Of course," Elsa said in a dignified tone, "Now, uh, where were we?"

"We were actually just about to wrap up our meeting for the day," Kai announced, "Unless there was something you wished to discuss further?"

"I think we've covered everything for today."

"Very well, your majesty." With that, the advisors began shuffling out of Elsa's office one by one, chatting with each other in indiscernible tones. As the last person left the room, Elsa began reorganizing her desk, placing the large amount of papers in somewhat neat stacks. When she looked up again, she saw Anna and Olaf in front of her desk, a worried expression overtaking their faces.

"Elsa are you sure everything's alright?" The redhead asked, "You seem out of it today."

"I'm fine, Anna," Elsa replied slightly annoyed, "What makes you think something's wrong?"

"You kinda looked distracted during the meeting today. I understand that this job is stressful and you have ,like, a _bajillion_ things on your mind, but that's why you have me and Olaf to help and-"

"Anna, it's fine! Really."

"It didn't look fine to me," Olaf butted in, "It's funny, you kinda had that look on your face when Anna thinks about Kristoff and you started to pay attention more whenever Derrik's name was mentioned and-" the snowman let out a loud gasp, "I THINK I KNOW WHAT IT IS!" Olaf lifted his head up to Anna's ear and began whispering something indecipherable towards the princess. Anna's face lit up like a candle as the snowman continued talking.

"Ohhhh," Anna said after Olaf finished talking, "Is that what's going on?"  
Elsa cocked an eyebrow at her sister and Olaf. "What? What's going on?"

"Are you and Derrik… ya know?"

"Are me and Derrik wha-?" Elsa's face turned a deep red. "Oh. Uh- well- d-don't be ridiculous!"

"How romantic!" Anna declared as she overdramatically swooned, "Falling in love with the mysterious stranger that saved your life, fantasizing about being swept away in his muscular arms, imagining the feeling of his lips pressed against y-"

"Anna, it's not like that! Our relationship is strictly professional!"  
"Looked a little more than 'professional' in the tailor shop the other day."  
"He just tripped, that's all. Besides, I'm really not interested." Elsa then returned to reorganizing her desk.

"Very well…" Anna grunted as she turned around. A devilish idea came to her. "Oh, hey Derrik!"

"HUH, WHA-?" Elsa exclaimed as she jumped in her chair.

Anna turned around and cocked an eyebrow at her sister, giggling. "'Not interested' huh?"

The queen's face turned bright red. "T-that doesn't prove anything." Elsa quickly broke eye contact with Anna as she focused on Olaf, who was currently sliding around the room like a figure skater. Looking down, she noticed that the floor was covered in a thin layer of ice. The redness in her face deepened.

"Elsa-woah!" Anna quickly raced around Elsa's desk, cautious as to not slip on the newly formed ice as she embraced her sister. "It's nothing to be ashamed of! I'm really happy for you!"

"It's not like that at all, Anna," Elsa murmured, "I don't have time to think about stuff like that…"

"Well when you do," Anna said with a slight pout, "Don't be afraid to talk to me about it." Elsa gave a faint smile as she embraced the princess. "I appreciate the support," she laughed.

"You'll always have me," Anna released Elsa from her arms, "Now, how about we go down to the market and get some fresh air?"

Elsa let out a sigh. "I can't, I've got one last meeting today in a few minutes."

"Oh, that's ok, I can just wai-"

"No, no. You don't have to wait for me."

"Are you sure? Because I don't mind waiting."  
"Positive. Though, if you can get me some smoked salmon I'd appreciate it."

"Sure thing C'mon Olaf!" Anna slid carefully towards the door. With a flick of her hand, Elsa dissolved the ice covering the floor.

"Oh, and make sure to take Derrik with you! We can't be too careful."

The snowman and the princess exchanged looks. "We will!" the two said in unison as they shut the door.

As soon as the door was shut, Elsa slammed her head on her desk. So what if she was thinking about Derrik during the meeting? It's not her fault that he was so kind and charming and- Elsa watched as snowflakes fell from the ceiling. Elsa groaned. It was official: She had feelings for Derrik. The idea of romance frightened the young queen, partially because it seemed like a waste of time, and partially because she never really felt worthy of love. Ever since the Great Freeze two years ago, her paranoia surrounding her powers only spiked. Now that she had Anna back in her life and the people loved her, things were better, but she wasn't sure how romantic feelings would affect her. At the same time, seeing how happy Anna and Kristoff were together made her long for love like that. She shook the idea from her head. Her duty was to Arendelle first and foremost, especially nowadays.

Anything else had to either come later or never at all.

XXXXXX

Eyrn furiously scribbled onto the piece of parchment. Over the past few days, he had been making careful observations of the castle's inner workings; every guard patrol, every hallway, and every hypothetical escape route. His contacts were steadily supplying him with the necessary equipment to pull it all off. All of the pieces were finally coming together for the greatest assassination in history. The fame, the prestige, all of it was soon to be his. All he needed was a few more things and-

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"GODDAMMIT!" Eryn blurted as he hurried to hide the damning schematic. He couldn't afford to be discovered now, not when he was so close! He lifted his mattress and shoved the parchment underneath. Eryn then rushed over to the door and flung it open. On the other side was the princess and the snowman, both beaming at him.

"Good afternoon, your highness and ,uh, Olaf," Eryn said as he bowed, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Oh, you can just call me Anna," the princess said, "Elsa wanted me to bring you along while we go down to the market."

"And I get to come along, too!" The snowman butted in.

Eryn smirked at their replies. _Perfect _he thought. "As you wish your hi- I mean, Anna."

"LAST ONE TO THE MARKET EATS YELLOW SNOW!" Olaf shouted as he bolted down the hall. Anna quickly dashed after him as Eryn followed suit.

"For fuck's sake!" he growled.

XXXXXX

If there was one thing that Eryn hated more than anything it was crowds. The noise, the confusion, the multiple pairs of eyes, it all screamed hell to him. Now that he was with the princess of Arendelle, almost all of those eyes were on him. At the moment, Anna and Olaf were perusing one of the fishmongers' stalls while he leaned against one of the support beams of the overhang. His contempt for people grew as each person passed by the princess, congratulating her on her upcoming marriage, asking her how the queen was, et cetera. It amazed him how one woman could be such a social butterfly. As he was alone with his thoughts, the dagger decided to interrupt.

_**We should make our move now, go see what you can find out from the princess.**_

_I will… once she's away from the stall._

_**Don't tell me the 'legendary' Eryn Odrikson is afraid of people.**_

_It's more of the fact that people can and will eavesdrop on our conversation._

_**I will use the shadows to secure your conversation, just hurry and get the information we need.**_

_Very well…_

Eryn turned his gaze over to the fishmonger's stall, where Anna was currently paying for a pound of smoked salmon. "Thanks again, Bjӧrn!" she chirped. Eryn sauntered over to her as she turned around.

"Where to next, Anna?" Eryn asked.

"This way! Come on, Olaf!" The princess then kept a steady (and, thankfully for Eryn, slow) pace. Eryn could feel the blade's magic encase them as the world around them began to sound fuzzy.

"Ssooo, Anna," Eryn began, "The queen has been talking about your upcoming marriage quite often. How is that going?"

Eryn soon realized how much of a mistake that was. Anna spent the next half hour gushing about how her fiance, Kristoff or something, was amazing, her first engagement that didn't go so well, and every minute detail that they had planned out for the ceremony. Eryn had begun to check out of the princess's long and drawn out story when she said, "I mean I appreciate Elsa's help in this, but with her duties as queen and now I found out she has a crush on y- oop! Probably shouldn't say that…"

Eryn perked up at the princess's slip of the tongue. "The queen has fallen for someone?" He asked.

"Uhhhh, maybe? She's… a little defensive about it…"

"Why can't we say she likes Derrik?" Olaf asked absentmindedly.

"_Olaf!" _the princess scolded. Eryn's eyes grew wide and felt his face heat up and his heart beat faster.

"O-Oh," he stammered, "I, uh, don't know what to say…"

"Does that mean you like her too?" Olaf asked.

"Uhhhh… "  
"Olaf, don't put people on the spot like that!" Anna said, "Now c'mon, we need to get back to the castle, it's getting late."

The three of them made the trek back to the castle without another word.

_Later That Evening..._

_**HAHAHAHAHA! This is perfect!**_

Eryn was busy cleaning his fresh wound on his hand as he discussed the potent information with the dagger.

_You're telling me! I should take up gambling with all this luck I've got!_

_**If this goes well, you could just own a casino with all the money you'll have!**_

_Regardless, what should the next move be?_

_**Gauge how valid the princess's claims are. If the queen is truly in love with you, it will make our job even easier.**_

_How so?_

_**Love is an easy emotion to exploit. It causes fools to drop their guard and become predictable. It is when she is at her most vulnerable that we will strike. Hmmm… I sense that something about this feels… **__**wrong**_ _**to you… **_

_I have no idea what you're talking about._

_**Your thoughts… is that remorse I sense?**_

_Of course not!_

_**Don't let your human thoughts get in the way of this, Odrikson…**_

_You worry too much! It'll be fine… _


	8. The Training Session

Eryn drew a deep breath as he focused his attention on the straw dummy in front of him. The training ground near the castle was empty that morning, save for himself, as most of the other guards had already begun their daily patrols. With no hesitation, he slashed his broadsword across the figure's chest with blinding speed. Each thwack of steel meeting wood only encouraged him to make each blow strike harder than the last. It felt like he was back in the Arendellian army, which only encouraged him to strike even harder. As he was slicing the dummy, he imagined the man-shaped pile of straw was the queen, in all her elegance. He imagined the fateful day when he finally pounced and struck her down, the radiant smile that lit up any room she was in withering away into a gnarled wince, the color draining from her soft and lightly freckle-kissed face, the life leaving her beautiful sapphire eyes that he could get lost in for hours…

Eryn quickly stopped his onslaught as his eyes grew wide and his face began to heat up. _What the hell? _He thought to himself. Eryn quickly glanced down to the dagger strapped to his side. It offered no commentary on his thoughts as it laid dormant in its sheath. Eryn breathed a sigh as he gathered his thoughts on what had just transpired. Did he seriously have _feelings _for the queen? _Nonsense_! He thought. Eryn Odrikson didn't have the time nor want for such trivial things! All the company he ever needed was a large sack of gold, a pint of ale, and an average looking whore for an evening. Besides, her death was worth more to him than something as mundane as companionship and romance.

And yet, no matter how many times he tried to refocus on his training, his thoughts returned to the queen and her beauty. Each time he struck the dummy became softer and softer until he was lightly slapping it with the edge of his sword. _Dammit Eryn, get it together!_ He thought as he resumed his strikes. No one, not even some misguided feelings, would ever get the best of hi-

"Hey, Derrik!"

"FUCKING HELL!" Eryn shrieked. His sword fell to the floor with a loud clang. He snapped around to see who decided to interrupt his training session, his eyes filled with murder. Princess Anna was standing before him, grinning like a fool. She was wearing a light green and black dress, which was intricately adorned with the crocus of Arendelle around the bottom of her skirt. Eryn quickly eased his glare to a more friendly grin. "Anna," he laughed, trying not to trip over his words, "Forgive my language, I was just taken aback and that's what-"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Anna reassured, "I mean, at least I know where Olaf heard it from."

Eryn breathed a sigh of relief. "Well then, does the queen require my services?"

"No, I was just wondering what you were doing."

Eryn glanced down at his sword. "Oh, not much," he explained as he bent over to grab his sword, "Just getting the rust out of my sword fighting."  
Anna's eyes grew wide as she focused her attention on the blade. "Oh! Can I see it?"

Eryn stared at her for a moment. "Uh… s-sure," he flipped the blade in his hand so that the handle was pointing towards Anna, who excitedly gripped it with both hands."Oh, wow!" she exclaimed, "It's a lot heavier than I expected." The princess playfully swung it around in a circle, giggling all the way. Eryn couldn't help but smirk at the sight before him.

"You don't have much experience with a sword, do you?"

"No," Anna said sheepishly, "I was never really allowed to have _any _kind of sharp object growing up. I was an accident prone kid, you see."

"I could teach you a few things, if you like."

Anna's jaw dropped as her eyes grew wide. She looked like a child on Christmas morning. "A-are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Eryn gave her a quick bow.

"AH! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Anna hopped with each word as Eryn reached over to the nearby rack for a spare sword and raised it to eye level.

"Shall we?" Eryn asked with a slight grin.

Anna stopped jumping as she realized what he had said. "Oh-uh, I was thinking I should change out of this dress an-"

"If someone were trying to kill you, do you think _they'll_ give you a chance to change?"

Anna pondered his observation for a second. "I guess you're right…"

"Alright, then. Let's begin." Eryn tightened his grip on his sword as he planted his feet firmly on the ground. "Strike at me."

"Wait, what?"

"I want to see where we need to begin at, so I need you to attack me."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he readjusted himself, "Now, begin!"

Anna charged at him, thrusting her sword at him. In an instant, Eryn knocked Anna's sword out of her hand as it flew off to the corner. The princess let out a small gasp as she lost her grip.

"Well," Eryn hesitated, "That's… normal for someone starting out." In reality, it wasn't. Anna rushed over to pick up the blade, a bright red hue flooding her face.

"Really?" she sniffled, "T-that's good…"

Eryn walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We all start out like this. What's important is how you improve." He paused at his words, almost lost in thought. The last person who had told him that was…

"_Once more, son," Dad said, bringing the wooden stick back to his eye level. Eryn growled as he threw his own stick down on the ground. He marched over to a nearby stump and flopped down onto it, burying his head in his hands._

"_I can't do it Dad," he groaned, "I don't know why I can't! I'll never be as good a soldier as you." Dad walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.  
_"_Eryn," he said calmly, "You can't give up just yet! You've got the makings of a great fighter, I know it."_

"_But every time we do this, I keep messing up." _

"_It's because you're new to this Eryn. You shouldn't waste time worrying where you are now, focus instead on how you'll improve."_

_Eryn formed a weak smile as he lifted his head out of his hands._

"_Alright," Dad got up, picked up Eryn's discarded stick, and threw it towards the boy, "Let's try again." Eryn popped up off of the stump, catching the stick in midair as he and Dad began clashing sticks once more…_

"Uh, Derrik?"

The princess's voice brought Eryn back to reality. She looked at him with worried eyes.

"M-my apologies," he stammered, recomposing himself, "Now, let's try again, shall we?"

_A few hours later…_

Eryn was surprised as to how fast of a learner Anna was. In a matter of hours, she went from a novice and unsure mess to a somewhat competent swordswoman. She managed everything he threw at her: every thrust, blow, and slash was parried with ease. Eryn couldn't help but see himself in the princess. They managed to get incredibly competitive as well. Eryn raised his sword to deliver another blow as Anna raised her own to meet it. Her hair was matted to her forehead with sweat as the hours flew by. Sounds of steel clashing with steel rang out through the courtyard.

"Not too bad, princess," Eryn remarked mere inches away from where their swords clashed, "You just might pass for a soldier one day."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Anna said, "But I know your weakness."

The two of them separated, backing off into opposite directions. Their eyes were glued on each other as they stood with their swords raised, each anticipating the other to approach.

"And what, pray tell might that be?" Eryn asked, not breaking his stance. Anna glanced over to the entrance of the courtyard.

"Oh, hey Elsa!"

"WHA-," Eryn snapped his head to see where the princess was looking, his face red like a beet. She couldn't possibly-

_**THUD!**_

Eryn suddenly found himself knocked to the ground. Looking up, Anna was towering over him, sword pointed directly at his face.

"Looks like I win!" Anna declared, extending her hand to Eryn. He quickly grasped it as the princess helped him to his feet. His pride was a bit wounded, but otherwise he came out unscathed. As he dusted himself off, he noticed Anna giving him a smug grin, like she poisoned him and was awaiting the results.

"Um… why are you looking at me like that?" Eryn asked.

"You seemed really flustered when you thought Elsa was here," Anna teased, "What's up with that?"

Eryn's face turned as red as a beet. "Uh, well, I didn't want her to think that I was attacking you or anything…"

"Is it? Or could it be you were afraid of looking like an idiot in front of her?"  
Eryn scowled at her as he placed his hands on his hips. "Oh, I see what you're trying to get at!"

"And that is?"  
"You think I have feelings for her, don't you?"

"I didn't say that, you did…"

"You're _implying _it…"

Anna said nothing as she narrowed her eyes at Eryn, still grinning like some crazy person. Eryn felt his face get hotter.

"Don't get ideas, Anna," Eryn growled, "Our relationship is purely professional."

"That's a shame," Anna shrugged, "Elsa was just talking about how you looked quite handsome earlier…"  
"_She did_?" Eryn snapped before realizing his grave mistake, "I-I mean, she did?"

"HA! I knew it!"

"Fine," he groaned, "I have… mixed feelings about her… but nothing _romantic _or anything."

Anna squealed as she began jumping up and down excitedly. "You have no idea how huge this is!"

"Eh…" Eryn cocked an eyebrow at the princess's actions, "What?"

"Oh, It's just that Elsa's been a bit of a loner for a while. I mean, when you spend thirteen years away from everyone and everything you don't exactly-"

"Wait, wait, wait. What was that about being isolated for thirteen years?"

Anna looked down at the floor. "When we were kids, something happened with Elsa's magic, something I don't remember. All I know is that our parents thought it would be best if she were isolated from the world until she learned to control her powers. Which she only did two years ago… after freezing the whole fjord."

Eryn didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine being cut off from the world for over a decade now, let alone as a child. His heart grew heavy with Anna's words. "_Herregud," _was all he was able to utter before the two of them were interrupted.

"Anna, what are you doing out here?"

Eryn and Anna snapped their heads to the courtyard entrance. Elsa was standing there, arms crossed with a minor scowl on her face.

"Oh, hey Elsa," Anna said, "Derrik said he'd give me some sword training, so we-"

"Anna," Elsa groaned, "The dignitaries from France are going to be here soon, you can't address them looking like… _that!"_

Anna looked down at her dress. Aside from the dark damp areas where her sweat stained, her dress had become wrinkled and torn around the skirt. "Heh, oops," Anna said weakly as she forced a worried smile.

"Go get cleaned up, I'd like to have a word with Derrik…"

Anna's eyes went wide. "Oh, uh… s-sure thing." With that, Anna darted out of the courtyard.

Eryn could feel that something was wrong. Anna didn't even chastise Elsa as she left. He could feel the queen's icy glare pierce his very being as she stepped forward. His mind raced trying to find out what she was going to say. Had she discovered who he actually was? Was she going to fire him? God, she looked hot when she was mad. Why did he think this? Should he make his move now? He absentmindedly readied the dagger as he waited for the queen to act.

"Thank you." Elsa said, her voice as calm as an ocean on a sunny day as her expression changed. Eryn did a double take at the queen's words.

"I'm sorry, what?" Eryn asked, discreetly moving his hand away from the dagger.

"Thank you, for teaching Anna how to defend herself. With this talk of assassination and uneasiness, I wasn't sure if you alone would be able to keep her safe."

"She's a quick learner, plus she's got the spirit to fight," Eryn relaxed as he talked, "And I'm sure you'd be able to freeze anyone who'd so much as tried to hurt her."

Elsa looked down at her hands. "Oh, I'd never use my powers like that. I… I don't feel comfortable with using them to fight after what happened a few years ago."

Eryn wasn't sure what to say next. He couldn't fathom someone not using magic to defend themselves, as he had done with the dagger's magic. To him, it was like refusing to eat with your pockets full of food. A part of him was thankful for this information, as it made killing her that much easier. The other part of him, however, took pity on her.

"I… understand," Eryn finally said, "With powers like that, they must come with immense responsibility… I mean, along with your duties as queen, of course."

Elsa smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Derrik, that means a lot to me."

Eryn couldn't help but return the smile. Seeing her happy like this made his insides feel warm. The two of them stood there for a few moments before Elsa broke the silence.

"Oh- I almost forgot! There's going to be a special dinner tonight in honor of the visiting dignitaries. I need you posted in the kitchens tonight in case someone tries to, uh, poison the meal."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Please, Derrik. Call me Elsa."

"As you wish… Elsa," Eryn gave her a bow as she turned around and left the courtyard, her ice heels clacking on the stone floor.

Eryn shook his head as she left. He had no idea what had happened just then. _Get a grip, Eryn! _He thought, _You're here to kill her, nothing more! _Eryn pondered his next step, furious that he'd let himself get this distracted. As he paced around the courtyard, his hand brushed past the dagger. Eryn pulled the knife out of its sheath as he quickly dragged it across his palm, wetting the runes with blood. The dagger groaned as if it had been awoken from a nap.

_**Odrikson! **_The blade yelled, _**How many times must I tell you not to use my gift for trivial things?!**_

_I know, _Eryn snapped, _But we've got another opportunity, El- I mean the queen- has tasked me with overlooking food preparations for tonight._

_**Hmmm… I sense you have a plan.**_

_I can have my men smuggle in some nightshade and I'll just slip it into her food. The whore won't recognize what it is until she's-_

_**NO! I must be the one to kill her!**_

Eryn looked at the dagger with confusion. _Er- why's that?_

_**Magic an only be destroyed by magic! That has been the way for thousands of years!**_

_She's a sorceress! If we kill her, her magic dies too right?_

_**Odrikson… **_

_Just listen to me this one time!_

The dagger let out a frustrated groan. _**FINE! But you'll be doing this without my powers.**_

_I won't need them this time… _Eryn sheathed the dagger and proceeded back to his room.

He had to arrange a few things before dinner…

XXXXXX

Elsa slammed her office door shut, her face redder than an apple. She wasn't expecting Derrik to look _that _dashing sword fighting. The way his muscles flexed under his shirt, the way his hair still maintained its shape as he fought, the way his dimples sat on his handsome fa-

The young queen buried her face in her hands. She had no idea what to do with these feelings. Well, she did, but she didn't like it. Letting out a frustrated groan, she reopened her door to look for Gerda.


	9. The Poisoning

"And you're sure this is the stuff?"

Eryn looked down at the small sack his contact, a fat man with a face that looked like he was stung by bees, gave him. The man had infiltrated the castle staff and had been supplying Eryn any… illicit supplies to help in the assassination. The two men met in an empty room in the east wing of the castle, as to not draw attention to themselves. Eryn reached into the sack and pulled out a small black berry, about the size of his fingernail.

"Yup," the contact said in a hushed tone, "Freshly picked Nightshade berries, just like you asked for."

"Amazing how such tiny berries can cause so much suffering…" Eryn sneered.

"My wife said the same thing."

Eryn wasn't sure how to respond as he delicately put the sack in his jacket. "Uh... rrright… Look, when you infiltrate the dining staff, I need you to locate the wine cellar and report to me. Can you do that without fucking it up?"

"Yes, sir."  
"Good. Now, make sure no one sees you leave this room." Eryn walked over to the door and opened it slightly ajar. Carefully observing the hallway, he nonchalantly strolled out of the room, down towards the kitchen.

Eryn still couldn't believe that was the best he could find. He had spent years forming a tight-knit group of reliable contacts to help in these jobs, but he wasn't expecting to recruit a stupid clown like that jackass. If Eryn remembered correctly, he was the one who got caught in Avalor during the job to kill some local gang leader. It was a miracle that they were able to get out of there with that mouth-breathing tub of lard slowing them down. It didn't matter at this point. Once the queen was dead, he'd never see that infernal moron ever again.

Once she was dead… Eryn's heart grew heavy at the thought of Elsa's death. It was clear to him now more than ever that the mystery man who hired him was exaggerating the reasons he wanted the queen dead. Exaggerating, Eryn thought, More like lying through his damn teeth! For some reason, Eryn felt a surge of anger overtake his body. He quickly shook this rage from his head. It didn't matter at this point. He couldn't pass up an opportunity like this, not only to get back at Arendelle, but to solidify his legacy as a legendary killer. His stroll turned into a frustrated march as he silently grumbled to himself.

As he approached the kitchens, he paused at the sound of someone yelling. Except it wasn't like the head chef berating some hapless fool for overcooking the duck, instead it was more of an "GET THAT THING OUT OF HERE!" Eryn was immediately taken off guard when a large reindeer was shoved out of the large doors and into the hallway. At least we know the food's fresh, he thought as a large stocky blond man rushed up to the animal.

"Sven, how many times do you need to be told not to go in the kitchen?" he said sternly.

"BuT iT AlL SmElLeD So gOoD," The man replied in a more goofy tone. Was he… talking for the reindeer?

"Well, that's just people food, and this," the man pulled out a bag and retrieved a carrot from it, "Is people and reindeer food."

It was at that point Eryn realized who this was. The man in the square the day he arrived in Arendelle. Eryn recoiled in horror as the man let the reindeer take a bite out of the carrot, then ate the rest.

"Oh, what the hell?!" Eryn shouted, his stomach churning. The man and reindeer looked up at him with confused expressions.

"You must be Derrik," the man said as he extended his hand, "I don't think we've properly met before. I'm Kristoff, Anna's fiancé."

What in the FUCK does she see in you? He thought, shaking Kristoff's hand reluctantly. "Er- I guess that makes you the Royal Ice Master, then?"

"Yep! Sven and I oversee all of Arendelle's ice harvesting and shipping, isn't that right buddy?" Kristoff leaned over to the reindeer and scratched the underside of the beast's neck. Sven let out a satisfied grunt as his hooves stomped on the floor.

"I- uh… wasn't aware that they allowed animals in this part of the castle."

"Sven's more like family than anything else," Kristoff placed his hands on his hips and playfully glared at the reindeer, "But sometimes he forgets that not everyone thinks the same way." Sven gave his friend a small pout.

"How exactly did someone like you earn the princess's hand?"

"What do you mean 'someone like me?'"

"Well… you don't seem like a lot of other people around here. Not as uptight."

"I helped Anna find Elsa and fix the eternal winter, that's how," Kristoff leaned over to Sven, "I HeLpEd ToO, yA KnOw," he said, speaking for the reindeer.

Oh sweet fucking Christ, Eryn thought. It was tempting to kill this oaf along with the queen, but his standards forbade him from killing the mentally challenged.

"Hmmm, well, if you don't mind, I need to get into the kitchens. I have to make sure no one's tainted the food yet."

Kristoff cocked his head with a raised eyebrow. "Uh… the dignitaries haven't even shown up yet. Don't you think it's a little early to be checking on the food?"

"An assassin wouldn't wait until the moment the food is being served to poison the meal. Now would be an opportune time to taint anything, whilst there are few eyes."

"And how exactly would you know about that?"  
"I was the son of a noble, my father fretted over such things constantly…" Eryn seemed to get lost in thought as he said "my father," as if some internal force scolded him for dragging his father through this shameful charade. "Look," Eryn said after a few moments, "Elsa asked me to do this, so if you have a problem with it, talk to her about it. Now if you will excuse me..." With that, Eryn forced his way between Kristoff and Sven and entered the kitchens, ignoring the scowl the ice harvester gave him.  
The kitchen was incredibly cramped, filled with chefs and servants scrambling around to make sure everything was in its proper place. Eryn could barely hear himself think through the sounds of clinking dinnerware, sizzling meats, and general commotion from the people inside. It looked and sounded like an insane asylum where the inmates were given free reign. Scanning the room, he noticed that his inside contact was busy getting yelled at by the head chef over clumsily dropping some potatoes. He marched over to the two of them and grasped the contact's arm.

"I need to see this one for a second," Eryn said, trying to sound cheery. He dragged the contact to one of the only secluded areas behind a few large sacks of flour. "What in the hell are you doing?!" Eryn whispered angrily through gritted teeth, "If you get thrown out of here this whole operation is a bust!"

"I'm sorry, boss," the contact said panicking, "I was just trying to blend in and-"

"I don't need your sob story, where is the wine cellar?"

"R-right over there," the man sputtered, pointing to a large oak door.

"Alright, now get back to work, and don't act suspicious." Eryn threw the man out of the corner, watching as he fumbled about like a one legged chicken. Casually strolling over to the wine cellar, avoiding the sea of bodies, he was approached by a minor staff member.

"I'm sorry, but that area's off li-," She began.

"The queen herself asked me to overlook all aspects of this event, including the drink. You wouldn't want to upset the queen, now would you?"

The servant's eyes grew wide as she scurried off. Eryn discreetly opened the wine cellar door and slipped inside. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he scanned over the racks of wine bottles, looking for one specific bottle. Red Burgundy, Clos de Vougeot, Eryn reminded himself, running his hand across each bottle. He pulled each one out of its hole until finally reaching the one he was looking for. Eryn grinned in a sinister manner as he unsheathed his blade. The knife lay silent, denying Eryn any of its gifts. Overdramatic bastard, he thought as he jabbed the tip into the cork.

With one swift motion, Eryn pulled the cork out with a satisfying *pop*. He then took out the sack of berries from his jacket, pulled out five of them, and split them with the knife. As he hovered his hand over the wine bottle, he hesitated slightly. Once he did this, there would be no turning back. She would be dead, he'd be long gone, and everyone else would be left to deal with the aftermath of the assassination. His mind fell onto Anna, how she trusted him, how he would force her to live her life with no family, again. The idea of putting such a kind and warm person through that caused his heart to ache. Should he call it all off-

NO! Eryn thought, infuriated with himself, Not when I'm this close. If I had to live with no family… then so will she. With that, Eryn crushed the berries in his hand, the juices dripping into the wine below.

XXXXXX

"Oh, dear! I'm so happy for you!"

Gerda took Elsa's hands in her own. The queen sat in her study explaining to the head maid her situation regarding her feelings towards Derrik. For the past fifteen years, Gerda was the closest thing Elsa had to a mother figure, someone whom she felt she could talk to about anything. Despite Gerda's elation, Elsa still felt a pang of guilt and embarrassment in her soul as she hunched her back, cradling herself in her arms.

"T-thank you, Gerda," Elsa said weakly, her cheeks burning bright, "I'm just not sure if… nevermind."

"Dear, you shouldn't keep these things bottled up. You remember what happened last time?"

"It's just… Arendelle is in a state of chaos! There are bandits in the north, we appear weaker than ever before, and here I am fantasizing about some man. I just don't know if this is truly right for the kingdom."

Gerda silently processed the queen's words. "Dear," Gerda took Elsa's hands in her own, "Sometimes you just need to take a step back from it all and think about yourself for a change. Why, I remember when your father had the same dilemma about his feelings for your mother."

Elsa was taken aback by Gerda's story. "Really?"

"Of course," Gerda chuckled, "He was in the same position you were in. I'm afraid that's the case when a regent dies suddenly. People lose their faith in the monarchy, alliances have to be reformed, it's a complete mess. He would confide to Kai and myself constantly over his situation." Hearing that made Elsa feel a little better as she untangled herself from her arms. "Magic or not, you're still human, dear," Gerda continued, "Arendelle isn't going to collapse if you fall in love."

Elsa smiled warmly as a knock came to the door. Kai entered the room, a look of seriousness on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt, your majesty," he said, "But the dignitaries from France have arrived."

"Ah, yes," Elsa said, rising from her seat, "I'm coming." As she left the room, she could overhear the conversation between Gerda and Kai.

"HA! I told you she's got it bad! Pay up!"

"Hmph! Fine!" Elsa heard the jangling of coins being pulled out of a bag. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Talking to Gerda made it feel like a massive weight was lifted off of Elsa's shoulders. In time, she would need to talk to Derrik about this, but for now she put all of her focus on the visiting dignitaries. A powerful ally like France would help bolster Arendelle's reputation on the world stage. It was an opportunity the kingdom couldn't refuse.

For the first time since the assassination attempt, she felt calm.


	10. The Poisoning- Pt 2

_A/N: This was originally meant to be part of the last chapter, but I felt there was enough here to warrant it's own separate chapter. Enjoy!_

The evening couldn't have gone any smoother for Elsa. She'd been charming the French dignitary, Jacques Arnot, ever since he came off the boat. The elderly gentleman was quite easy to please, to the relief of Elsa, as he recounted his many exploits during the reign of Napoleon. Elsa was only partially paying attention to him as the day went by and his stories continued to drag on and on. _This is for Arendelle, _she reminded herself as they eventually made their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

Normally the hall was used as the throne room for citizens to express their grievances to the crown during the day. During important events and meals, however, the space was either completely empty or, in the case of that night, had a large banquet table running through the middle.

Elsa spent most of the night sipping wine as she discussed important details with her guest.

"Thank you again for coming, Monsieur Arnot," Elsa said, "I hope everything is to your liking."

Ah, Your Majesty," Arnot chortled, "Everything is absolutely _magnifique! _You and the princess are simply wonderful!"

Looking over to where Anna was sitting, the diplomat couldn't have picked a worse time to bring the princess up, as she was shoveling heaps of potatoes and duck into her mouth.

"Um, t-thank you, Monsieur," Elsa said, trying to change the subject. "Now, uh if you don't mind me asking, has the king taken my proposal into consideration yet?"

The old man let out a sigh, "He has, and he has yet to make a decision. Terribly sorry, Your Majesty, but our country is still trying to rebuild even after thirty years since Napoleon, so most of our focus still lies inwards."

Elsa took another small sip of wine, trying to mask her dissapointment. "Tell him I appreciate his consideration and I eagerly await whatever decision he makes."

"Many in Parliament have expressed interest in your kingdom, Your Majesty. They see your power, both literally and figuratively, as something that could benefit both our countries."

Elsa smiled into her glass. After years of fearing about her powers, she finally found a use for them in her duties. As it turned out, with the growing hostilities in Europe, people were quick to warm up to the one woman in the whole continent who could freeze a small country with a simple flick of her wrist.

"Speaking of which, I have heard that you don't actually use your ice magic to attack, just for simple parlour tricks. How do you plan on defending yourself?"

"That's what Derrik's for!" Olaf chirped, "He's great! And he taught me a new word, wanna hear it?"

"NO!" Elsa shouted, "That- that won't be necessary Olaf."

Jaques stroked his beard at the snowman's declaration. "Hmmm, who is this Derrik the snowman speaks of?"

XXXXXX

"She's asking for what?" Eryn said, nearly shouting over the commotion of the kitchen. It had died down since the royal dinner started over half an hour ago, but there were still a great number of people prepping the desserts and other food items.

"You, Mr. Ormeister," the servant said, "Though I'm not sure why that is."

Eryn wasn't sure either. His mind immediately went to the worst case scenarios. Had he finally been discovered? Did that fat oaf squeal? A chill ran up his spine.

"Er… v-very well then," he said reluctantly. He maneuvered his way through the bustling kitchens through the servant's corridor. The corridor was incredibly thin, only allowing two people at most. The walls were eerily lit with the occasional torch that was bolted to the stone every few feet. This didn't ease the tension in Eryn's body. He quickly reached down and unlatched the dagger. He needed to be ready for whatever came next.

As he exited the corridor, he was greeted by the sound of light chatter. Before him sat a great table, filled with various platters and plates filled with food. Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff were scattered across the table, each enjoying the heaps of food before them. Anna in particular had sauces dribbling down her blouse as she wolfed down a heaping of roasted duck. Elsa sat at the head of the table, poised and proper looking, conversing with a lanky man with a pencil thin beard and moustache sporting a light blue uniform. Eryn let out a slight cough and said, "You wished to see me, Your Majesty?"

Elsa looked up at Eryn. "Oh, hello Derrik!" she said. She turned to the man beside her and announced, "Monsieur Arnot, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Derrik Ormeister, the man who saved mine and Anna's lives."

Eryn wandered over to the table as the man in blue rose from his seat. The two of them grasped hands as the man said, "Ah, the queen has been singing your praises. You should be proud of yourself!"

Eryn chuckled at the compliment. "It's not that big of a deal really," he said, "I'm sure anyone in town would have done the same."

"Don't be so humble, Derrik," Elsa said, "Especially for someone with your kind of background."

"Ah, oui. My sincere condolences for your father. Weselton is truly an unforgiving place, is it not?"

"Indeed… Is there anything else you need from me, Ma'am?"

Elsa gestured to an empty seat beside the Frenchman. "Please, have a seat."

Eryn was incredibly confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"There's no need for you down there anymore, so I'd like you to join us."

_No danger, huh? _Eryn thought, _Just you wait… _

He slid into the seat beside the man as quickly as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, Eryn could see Kristoff glaring at him, almost as if he read his mind.

"So, Derrik," Elsa said, "I don't think I've ever asked you this, but what did you do after you fled Weselton?"

"Well… I used what money I could salvage from my estate and bought passage to New York, where I worked as a shoe shiner for a few months. It was a hard life, but I couldn't complain."

"Oh, you've been to America?" Anna asked, cheeks still puffed full of food. Elsa shot her a scowl as the princess meekly swallowed before continuing, "Kristoff and I were thinking about going to America for our honeymoon."

"Well, if I can give you some advice, avoid the Lower South Side. Everyone there will try to rob you, even the rats."

Anna, Elsa and the dignitary began laughing as Kristoff continued to scowl at Eryn. What was his deal?

"How did you get to Arendelle, then? This seems out of the way from America, no?" The Frenchman said. Eryn quickly thought up a good enough excuse.

"Well, I got into… a bit of a disagreement with one of the locals. Smuggled myself on a ship bound for Arendelle, and now here I am!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the contact had appeared beside the queen with another bottle of wine. The exact bottle Eryn had slipped the nightshade in earlier. He could feel the excitement inside him rising as the contact poured the red liquid out into the queen's glass.

"That sounds awful, Derrik," the queen said, smiling warmly, "But we should count ourselves lucky that you showed up when you did."

"Indeed," Eryn returned the smile as he watched the contact fill the others glasses as well. The queen raised her glass high as she said, "I'd like to propose a toast. To both Monsieur Arnot and to Derrik!"

"Here, here!" Anna shouted through another mouthful of food. Kristoff followed suit, raising his glass in the air almost reluctantly. Elsa brought the glass up to her mouth as she took a large sip from it. A part of Eryn began to ache as he watched the red liquid pass her lips, knowing what was about to happen. Almost immediately, she hunched over as she let the glass fall from her hand onto the floor, scattering shards all across the floor. Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and the dignitary looked on in horror as Elsa groaned in apparent pain. Eryn soon joined the concerned looks, a part of him recoiling in guilt. The queen leaned over to the side of the table and ,with a loud *_HURK*_, vomited an interesting mix of red and brown across the floor.

"ELSA!" Anna cried, rushing over to her sister's side. Kristoff and the Frenchman shot up out of their seats as the ice harvester ran for help. Eryn could only sit there in sheer disbelief.

She was supposed to be convulsing on the floor, gasping for air, not vomiting. He saw that the poisoned bottle was left on the table and grabbed it. Bringing it to his nose, Eryn took a quick sniff and felt his rage grow. _ELDERBERRY!_ Eryn thought. He jumped out of his seat as he scowled at the contact, who began to flee for his life. Wasting no time, Eryn dashed after him, unsheathing the dagger and gripping it in his hand. The chase only lasted a few moments before Eryn tackled the contact to the ground, rage filling his eyes as he flipped the fat bastard over.

"'Freshly picked Nightshade berries, just like you asked.' Was that not what you said?!" Eryn growled, pinning the man to the floor with the knife. The contact started trembling as he began sweating bullets.

"I-I'm sorry boss! The guy said they was Nightshade, fresh from the area-"

"NIGHTSHADE DOESN'T GROW THIS FAR NORTH, YOU FAT DIPSHIT!"

"I didn't know! The black market around here-"

"So either you're stupid, or the people you deal with are!"

"It-it's just that the berries looked the sa-"

"I've had ENOUGH of your STUPID excuses!" Eryn brought the dagger to the man's jaw.

"Please! Don't, I- I won't let it happen again!"

"Damn right it won't happen again!" Eryn took the knife and, with as much force as he could muster, jammed it right under the man's chin. The contact let out a few gurgles as his arms flailed around, blood flowing from his mouth as the color left his eyes. In a few short seconds, the contact's arms stopped flailing as they fell to his sides. Eryn pulled the knife out of the fool's skull, still visibly furious at what had transpired. A part of him did feel relief, however, knowing that she wouldn't immediately die. It was at that point when Eryn felt a familiar numbness.

_**Now what have we learned today, Odrikson?**_

Eryn brought the dagger up to his face. The blade was still soaked in blood, yet the runes still shined through like lanterns in the fog.

_Oh, so now you decide to chime in? Not when you could CLEARLY see that they were elderberries?_

_**I had much more pressing matters than botany, boy. Like teaching ingrates like you a lesson.**_

_I was close to killing her._

_**Were you? Or were your human feelings getting in the way like they always do? I sensed your grief when you poisoned the wine, your relief when you found out it wasn't nightshade. You're secretly hoping this fails, I can sense it!**_

_Had this oaf not fucked up, she'd be dead and we'd be halfway to Karnisvarne by now! This was entirely out of my control!_

The dagger growled at Eryn's words. _**Heed my warnings next time, Odrikson, or you will share in his fate...**_

"Mr. Ormeister! Is everything alright?"

Eryn snapped his head to see who was talking. One of the guards stood there, grasping his polearm with aggression.

"Y-yes," Eryn said, "This… waste of skin tried poisoning the wine. Didn't mean to kill him though. But that's neither here nor there, is the queen alright?"

"Yes, sir. She's currently being looked at by medical professionals. They're saying it was elderberries that were slipped into the wine."

"I see. Is she able to speak?"

"Yes, sir."

"Take me to her then, and get someone to clean this mess up!"

With that, Eryn and the guard made their way to the queen's chambers with due haste, leaving the fat man's blood to stain the floors.


	11. The Decision

To say that the week following the attempt on Elsa's life was hectic would be an understatement. Between the emergency medical attention, seeing off Jacques, and further bolstering the guard around the castle, Elsa felt herself stretched thin. The effects could be felt by everyone in the castle; the temperature dropped, many doors had their handles frosted over, and every room Elsa entered experienced a light dusting of snow. The queen also spent less and less time alone. Whether it was a military escort or with just Derrik and Anna, Elsa never risked getting caught off guard.

Elsa was in her study, trying to focus on her work when she heard a quick and light knocking on her door. She had two guards stationed just outside the door, so it had to have been someone important for them to just let someone by like that. Before she could even say "come in," Anna creaked the door open and walked over to the queen's desk. The redhead bore a look of concern and agitation on her face.

"Anna, what's the matter? Did something happen?" Elsa asked.

"I just… thought you could use some company is all," Anna said, fumbling with her hands.

"No thanks."

"Elsa… are you-"

"Really, Anna, I'm fi-"

"Oh, no! Do _not _tell me you're fine!" Anna slammed her hands on the desk, causing Elsa to jump in her seat.

"Excuse me?"

"I can tell you're not fine! The whole damn _castle _can tell you're not fine!" Anna clenched her hands, "You don't have to hide your emotions anymore. Just… please, I know there's something wrong. I just want you to tell me."

Elsa sighed deeply, "I thought we were safe after the gunman incident, that things were going back to normal. But now…. Now there's someone else who wants me, wants _us_, dead… I'm starting to think that it's a sign that I'm failing Arendelle."

"That is not true and you know it," Anna circled around the desk and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, " People love you, Elsa, just look around. You're doing a great job, don't let any of this bring you down."

"But what if _you_ got hurt, or worse because of all this?" Elsa shot up out of her seat. "I've already seen you die once, I don't know what I'd do if-"

"That's never gonna happen," Anna embraced Elsa tightly, "You know I'm too stubborn to die."

Elsa couldn't help but laugh as she returned Anna's hug. She could feel her tension ease up slightly.

"Thank you, I needed that."

"It's what I'm here for."

Just then, a sharp knock came from the door. Elsa quickly took her seat again as she recomposed herself.

"Come in," she said in her regal voice. Kai walked into the room, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Forgive my interruption, Your Majesty," he said, "But the advisory council is ready for you."

Elsa gracefully rose from her chair. "I'm coming," she said as she linked arms with Anna and made their way to the meeting room.

XXXXXX

Eryn was about ready to dig his own eardrums out of his head with all the bickering between all of the advisors. He stood along the left wall with Kristoff and Olaf, as all of the seats were filled with posh assholes, clucking like a bunch of agitated mother hens. The commotion died out the second Elsa and Anna entered the room, as all eyes turned on the queen. Elsa frowned as she took her seat at the head of the large mahogany table, combing over each person in the room. Once she gave the whole room a look over, Elsa finally broke the silence.

"Alright, this is the second time in a month that an attempt was made on my life and Anna's life. I don't need pointless statistics or meaningless filler, I need _options. _What should we do about this?"

A boxy man with an eyepatch over his left eye stood up from his seat, his medals glistening in the lamplight.

"Your Majesty," he said, "I think the best option would be to temporarily close the-"

"I have said it once I will say it again, those gates will. Stay. Open. The people of Arendelle-"

"Ma'am, the people of Arendelle are scheming against you! If the gates are closed, we could keep track of who comes and goes, meaning we'd have a better chance of finding any potential killers."

Another man shot up out of his seat. "You'd have the people view her as a tyrant? We can't afford to lose popular support over a few dissidents! I say we pull the forces from Nordlund back here and-"

"What about the bandit raids then? Nordlund is the heart of Arendelle's economy, we can't afford to let it fall into disorder!"

More and more advisors chimed in on the situation. Had the dagger not drained itself over the past week, Eryn could've easily killed every person in this godforsaken room. The voices grew louder and louder until-

"ENOUGH!"

Every pair of eyes snapped to Elsa, who herself looked confused. Out of the corner of his eye, Eryn saw Kristoff step forward. All eyes shifted from the queen onto the ice harvester.

"Whether or not the gates stay open doesn't matter if an assassin is already in the castle." Eryn's heart jumped.

"Kristoff, what are you saying?" Anna asked.

"What I'm saying is that there was no way either of these men worked alone. It's too convenient to be isolated incidents. The only thing similar about them," Kristoff turned to face Eryn, "Was that _someone _intervened both times."

Eryn peeled himself from the wall. "I know you're not implying what I think you're implying, Bjorgman," He growled, "If I wanted the queen dead, she'd be dead by now."

"What about the wine, then? You were the last person in the kitchen before the wine was poisoned. Who's to say it's not you?"

"How daft do you have to be?! I was in charge of seeing that nothing was-"

"So you didn't check the wine? You seemed to know a lot of stuff about how assassins work."

"How do we know you didn't use that walking carpet of yours to distract the staff while _you_ slipped in and poisoned the wine?"

"_What?!"  
_"You'd have so much to gain from offing the queen. All it'd take is some freak 'accident' and your future wife becomes queen. Then it's just another accident and you've got all the power in Arendelle."

"I wouldn't dream of killing Elsa or Anna you _snake_!"

"I've heard that's not always true about the princess's suitors!"

Kristoff lunged at Eryn as he planted his fist in Eryn's jaw. Eryn returned blows to the ice harvester's sides, even kneeing him in the groin twice. He was about to unsheathe the knife when he felt an icy wind sweep over the both of them. In an instant, Kristoff was lifted off him and pinned to the wall by icicles in his shirt. Propping himself up, his eyes met Elsa's icy glare.

"That is enough!" She yelled, "We already have enough problems as it is, let's not start going at each other's throats now!" With a wave of her hand, the icicles pinning Kristoff to the wall vanished into thin air as he fell on his feet. Eryn scrambled up off the floor with blinding fury. "Do that again and I'll throw both of you out," she growled. Eryn felt fear creep up his spine, almost as if she was freezing his blood. Elsa turned back to the others and sighed. Something about what one of the advisors said resonated in him. _Nordlund…_ That's when Eryn had a stroke of brilliance.

"What was that about the North?" Eryn asked.

"That is none of your business," one of the advisors said. The queen's icy glare forced him to back off.

"We've been having bandit issues in the North for a while," Elsa explained, "Almost every month Governor Haadrikson requests more and more soldiers. It's to the point that we have almost an entire legion up there."

"Then why not go there?"

A low rumbling of confused chatter emerged in the room.

"Derrik, what are you talking about?"

"The North is the most guarded region of Arendelle. If you relocate up there, you'd be much safer than here."

A man shot up out of his seat. "What would the people say if they saw the Queen abandon them now? Arendelle is in crisis, she needs to-"

"It would have to be in secret then, under the cover of night. It would also throw off any assassin looking for the queen."

"Of all of the hairbrained, _foolish-_"

"No matter how hairbrained or foolish it may seem," Elsa rose from her seat, "It's the best option I've heard day!"

"Elsa," Anna said meekly, "Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

Anna let out a sigh. "Alright, when do we-"

"No," Eryn interrupted, "If this is going to work we need to keep up the illusion of normalcy, meaning Anna needs to stay here."

"Oh right, so you can kill Elsa on the way up then?" Kristoff spat.

"Kristoff, no!" Anna scolded, "Derrik knows what he's doing! I trust him, Elsa trusts him, why can't you?"

"You're just as much a target, Anna. I don't want to lose you."

"You'd never want to kill the second in line," Eryn injected, "If anything, they'd keep her alive to exemplify the monarchy's weakness. They most likely see her as unfit for rule. She was most likely just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"If it'll make you feel better, Kristoff, I'll have two guards with me along with Derrik," Elsa assured her future brother-in-law.

"But what about Anna?"

"Judging by the sucker punch you gave me, I'm sure you'd easily take down any sorry bastard dumb enough to try and kill her."

Anna let out a small giggle as Kristoff struggled to find anything to say. He slumped back against the wall in defeat.

"Then it's settled," Elsa declared, "Tonight, I leave for Nordlund."

Eryn couldn't believe his luck. This was the break he needed after the last humiliating failure. Now it was just him, her, and only two other dopes that he'd easily best with his magic. The pieces were once again falling into place for the kill of the century

_This ends, once and for all… _he thought as the advisors shuffled out of the room.

_A Few Hours Later…_

"I feel ridiculous!"

Anna stifled a laugh at her sister's travel outfit. Instead of the sequined blue dress Elsa was used to wearing, she now wore a plain gray dress that covered almost every inch of her skin with a white bonnet hiding her platinum blonde hair. The two of them were walking down the halls to the stables to meet Derrik for the journey to the north.

"Derrik said it was necessary to make sure you aren't recognized," Anna giggled, "And besides, it doesn't look _that_ bad."

"Who is this going to fool? I think enough people have seen me to recognize me."

Just then, Olaf burst from the end of the hall, jumping excitedly. "Hi, Anna! Hi, Anna's new friend! Have you guys seen Elsa?"

Elsa untied her bonnet, balled it up in her hands, and said, "Olaf, it's me!"

"Oh, wow! Elsa, we were just talking about you! But where'd your new friend go?"

The queen shook her head as she put the bonnet back on. Olaf let out a surprised gasp.  
"OH! Anna's new friend, you're back! Wait right here, I'll go get Elsa!" The snowman trotted down the hall and was out of sight in an instant.

"See?" Anna said, "It fooled Olaf."

"Olaf doesn't have a brain, Anna."

"And who's fault is that, dear sister?"

The two of them started giggling like school girls. Elsa knew she was going to miss Anna more than anything while up in Nordlund, but she knew that this was for the best. Besides, Elsa was still in the kingdom, she'd just be a few days away. If anything happened, she'd be back in nearly a heartbeat.

"Hey, Elsa…" Anna said almost teasingly, "Are you planning on… you know…"

Elsa's face turned red. "Uh- I haven't really thought about that."

"It'd make so much sense, though! You… him…" Anna wiggled her eyebrows, "_Alone…"_

"I know… It's just- I don't know how to even go about that…"

"Just be yourself, Elsa. That's honestly all it takes."

"What would I ever do without you?"

"You'll always have me."

The two embraced each other in a warm hug. "Alright," Anna said as she broke the hug, "Let's not keep Derrik waiting!"

The two women ran down the halls, arms interlocked, as they made their way to the stables.

XXXXXX

Eryn fumbled with Magni's collar as he hooked his steed to the wagon. Eryn was simply impressed that this wagon was functional in the first place. It looked like it hadn't been used in _decades! _The wheels seemed about ready to disintegrate, the bed was full of leaves and rocks, and it all had the "pleasant" aroma of molding wood. The binding for the horse was the most reliable thing on here. Eryn was certain that if he didn't kill the queen, this infernal contraption would.

He had finally latched Magni in when he heard a familiar upbeat voice call from the entrance to the stables.  
"All set, Derrik?"  
Turning around, he saw Anna beaming as usual, with…

Eryn couldn't help but stare. The queen was wearing a plain gray commoner dress with a white bonnet, her weak smile lighting up the dark midnight sky. She looked quite stunning even in such ordinary clothes. Even though he was wearing the same style of clothes, a plain brown jacket with solid black trousers, Elsa had this ethereal look about her. Eryn could feel his face burn as he said, "Uh- yes. All good to go!"

"WAIT!"

All three of them shot their heads to the courtyard. Kristoff rushed out to meet them, a bag strapped around his shoulder. He walked up to Eryn, looking incredibly pissed. The mountain man extended his hand as the anger in his face faded away. In his hand was the dagger and its sheathe.

"Olaf found this in your bedroom. Wouldn't want you to lose it."

Eryn was at a loss for words. He had no idea if anyone knew the dagger's origins, not that he knew himself, but the idea that someone might filled him with terror. Even then, he wasn't even sure how he'd managed to misplace it like that. Eryn cautiously took the dagger and said, "Er, thanks."

"Don't mention it. Think of it as an apology for earlier," Kristoff smiled warmly. Eryn eased himself as he attached the sheathe to the hem of his pants.

"I appreciate it," Eryn said as he turned to Elsa, "Now, then, shall we be off Your Majesty?"

Elsa gave Anna a quick embrace. "Are you sure you're going to be fine here without me?" she asked.

"I'll be fine Elsa," Anna replied, "Now, get going you two!"

Eryn extended his hand and assisted Elsa into the passenger's seat. He then hopped into the driver's side and, with a shout of "Magni! _flytt nå!"_ and the snapping of reins_, _The two of them made their way out the stables and onto the main roads of Arendelle.

XXXXXX

Anna and Kristoff watched as the wagon made its way out of sight. The princess turned to her fiance, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said, "Sooo… looks like we're gonna be alone for a while…"

"Yeah… I guess we are…" Kristoff replied as he pulled her in close to him. He treasured moments like this. No dignitaries she had to meet, no important ice harvesting jobs he had to do, just the two of them, basking in the love of one another…

At least, until Kristoff broke the embrace. "Sorry, baby," he groaned, "I've got a quick trip to make to the Valley."  
"But why?" She whined.

"Just something the trolls need me for. Don't worry, fiestypants, I'll be back in the morning."

Anna huffed before saying, "Alright, just be careful."

"Always am!" He kissed her lips as he walked over to Sven's stable. Hoisting himself onto the reindeer, Kristoff and Sven trotted from the castle out into the cool night.

If there was one thing Kristoff hated doing, it was lying to Anna. She'd been lied to almost her entire life, and here he was perpetuating more lies. But he knew that it was for the best. He knew she wouldn't agree with what he was about to do, or the fact that he tricked not only her, but Derrik and Elsa as well. _Derrik,_ he thought, _That's probably not even his real name. _Nothing about him made Kristoff trust him. If anything, it made him trust this guy even less. Kristoff rummaged around in the bag around his shoulder until he pulled out exactly what he was looking for.

"Derrik's" dagger glistened in the moonlight, looking almost ethereal. Kristoff only had a few moments to swipe it when the meeting ended, so he didn't get to have a good look at it. It appeared to be a fairly normal hunting knife all things considered. The hilt was made of some kind of ebony wood, the kind that doesn't come from around here. The blade itself was incredibly sharp, Kristoff could tell just by looking at it. What really stood out to him was the markings etched into the blade:

ᛊᚲᛃᚾᛖ


	12. The Dark Secret and The Road to Fjellby

The Valley of the Living Rock was quite peaceful at this time of night. The aurora above lit up the stones and moss as Kristoff and Sven made their way through. It was eerily quiet, seeing as it was at least two in the morning. Kristoff pulled the dagger out from the bag and studied it once again. Even in the brilliant light of the aurora, the dagger gave Kristoff an uneasy feeling, like it was radiating some kind of evil energy. He flipped the dagger to examine the runes on the side of the blade. He wasn't sure what they meant, but he was certain that the trolls would know. As they approached the center of the valley, Kristoff put the dagger back into his bag and dismounted Sven.

The trolls were curled up into mossy boulders all around the area, loosely scattered amongst the different tiers of stone. Kristoff went to the center of the enclave and knocked on one of the stones. All at once, the trolls began rolling down towards Kristoff, popping out of their boulder states one by one. Bulda, Kristoff's troll mother, leaped toward the ice harvester.

"KRISTOFF!" She yelled as her adopted son caught her. Kristoff's knees nearly gave out from the unexpected weight he had to carry. The other trolls formed around him, asking him all sorts of questions.

"How's Anna? Is the wedding still on?"

"We heard about the assassination attempts, are Elsa and Anna alright?"

"Has Sven been eating well? He looks a little thin for a reindeer his size."

"I passed another kidney stone."

"Guys, guys," Kristoff said as he put Bulda back down, "I missed you all too, but I'm here for something a little important. Is Grandpabbie awake?"

"Ah, good to see you again, Kristoff," Grandpabbie walked up to Kristoff with a warm smile, "What brings you back here?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could identify something for me. Looked like something you'd know about."

"Oh? I suppose we could help. What is it?"

Kristoff reached into his bag and produced the dagger. All at once, the trolls gasped and took a massive step back, hushed whispers filled the valley. Cliff, Kristoff's adopted father, rolled forward with a look of concern on his face.

"Kristoff, _please _tell me you didn't cut yourself on this knife," He said in a somber tone.

"No. The blade's incredibly sharp, so I've been careful around it. Why?"

"_Arendolk…_ after all these years," Grandpabbie muttered, his smile turned into shock. Kristoff could see him slightly trembling.

"So you _are_ familiar with it?"

"Unfortunately yes. And the being that resides inside of it," Grandpabbie raised his hands as he conjured up a miniature aurora. He began shaping it into several people and trolls celebrating and dancing. "A long time ago, magic was much more abundant than it is now. Humans and magical creatures lived in peace and harmony for many generations," He shifted the aurora to show a tall dark human-like figure, with blood red eyes, shadowy antlers protruding out of its head, and a wicked grin, revealing jagged teeth, "That was, until Skyne, Spirit of the Shadows, led a war that threatened to plunge the world into pure darkness."

"Why?"

"Skyne hated humans, as much as humans hated him. They feared him and his creations. He hated how they cast away his darkness. All of that anger and hatred boiled over into a bloody conflict."

The aurora shifted again to show a struggle between humans, trolls, and giants. Skyne was then surrounded by a group of humans and trolls. Kristoff watched in awe and fear as Skyne defeated all of them with ease,impaling one with an inky black tendril from his back and flung him into the others.

"Fortunately," Grandpabbie said, shifting the focus onto a large bearded brute of a man, holding a sword and shield, "Aren the Red, leader of the humans of this region, defeated Skyne and had us imprison the shadow demon in his personal hunting knife." The aurora shifted yet again to show the tall shadow demon bowing to a group of humans as the trolls cast magic on it. The figure looked to be sucked into the dagger as Aren the Red held it high. Grandpabbie pointed to the runes on the dagger, "These runes spell out Skyne's name, an old troll magic trick marking this dagger as his prison."

"So Skyne's trapped in this dagger?" Kristoff asked, looking down at the blade, " If he's stuck in here, he's no threat, right?"

"I wish that were true… but our magic isn't as powerful as most others. Skyne's magic is so strong that it can slightly leak through any spell we put on it. He is able to unleash his magic whenever the blade is bathed in mortal blood. If he were to get even a single drop of magical blood…"

"Skyne would be free… and the world would end…" Bulda interrupted.

Kristoff turned Arendolk around in his hands. This weapon, over thousands of years old, encased a shadow spirit inside of it that had the ability to end the world. He never saw Grandpabbie this terrified of anything before.

"Then it needs to be destroyed!" Kristoff picked up a nearby rock and placed the dagger on the ground.

"KRISTOFF, NO-" Grandpabbie shouted. As soon as the stone struck the blade, a blast of magic energy knocked Kristoff into a nearby wall. Sven dashed over to his companion with concern on his muzzle. Groaning, Kristoff slowly propped himself up onto Sven, gripping the reindeer's fur.

"Kristoff, I thought I taught you better than to just smack cursed weapons with rocks!" Bulda scolded.

"Ugh… sorry…" Kristoff massaged the back of his neck, trying to rub out the sharp pain that resided there.

Grandpabbie sighed, "It is not so simple to destroy something like Arendolk. Only magic can destroy magic."

"Then can you destroy it?"

"I wish we could. Our magic is nowhere near powerful enough to destroy Arendolk, and the last of the magic was pushed to the far north after Crusaders purged these lands."

"That means…" Kristoff's heart sank.

"Elsa should be able to destroy it!" Bulda declared. All at once the trolls erupted in joy.

"One problem… Elsa's not in Arendelle anymore." The valley was filled with gasps and groans.

"What happened?" Grandpabbie asked, "Where is she?"

"She's heading up to Nordlund tonight. The new personal bodyguard she hired, 'Derrik' if that's really his name, recommended that she hide away for a while."

"I assume he was the one with Arendolk?"

"Yes."

Grandpabbie shook his head solemnly. "Then I fear Elsa may be in grave danger. At least you managed to get Arendolk off of him. Who knows what would happen if he had Skyne's powers at his fingertips."

"Wait, what?"

"Skyne has been searching for ways to escape his prison for well over a millenia, even resorting to making deals to share his shadow magic with those he thinks can get him closer to his goal. Either this Derrik is incredibly powerful, or incredibly desperate."

"What should I do with it then?"  
"You must get rid of the dagger. It must not fall into anyone else's hands."

Kristoff nodded and dropped the dagger back into his sack. He hoisted himself onto Sven, said his goodbyes, and darted off back to Arendelle. As he made his way back, Kristoff processed the information Grandpabbie had given him. What would he say to Elsa? The man she was interested in made a blood pact with an ancient shadow demon?He could see her taking that information… rather poorly.

He was right, "Derrik" wasn't who he made himself out to be! _Lying bastard! _He thought. Kristoff needed to get to Elsa quick, she's in-

_No_ he thought, _I can't leave Anna, she doesn't deserve to be alone again. Besides, without Skyne, he can't be _that _much of a problem for someone like Elsa._

XXXXXX

Eryn was surprised with how mountainous the north of Arendelle was. He had never been past the capital, so this was new territory for him. For miles all around, large hulking mountains jutted out of the ground into dizzying peaks. It felt like he was traveling through a graveyard of giants.

Elsa gripped herself tightly as Magni pulled them along the trail. Eryn, seeing how distraught she looked, tried finding something to ease her mind.

"Sssso," he said hesitantly, "What is this town we're going to again?"

"Fjellby," Elsa said, trying to mask her worry, "the provincial capital, just beyond the North Mountain."

"What's so important about this region that it needs so many soldiers anyway?"

"The mountains around here are rich in gold. They've been funding Arendelle for years, since the days of my grandfather, King Runeard."

_Yes, and it's because of this foul province that our homes in the south have been suffering! _Eryn thought, gripping Magni's reins tightly.

"And these bandit raids, how long have they been going on?" Eryn carefully masked his anger.

"About a year ago. It's been getting worse over the past few months, so I sent Captain Torvond to look over things for me."

Eryn's eyes grew wide, "Y-you don't mean _Linaeus _Torvond, do you?" He asked worriedly.

"Oh, you're familiar with him?"

"I've, uh, heard of him…"

"He's been up here since you came along. Left the same day you saved me and my sister."

_Why did she have to bring that up? _Eryn thought, _Especially _now? Of all the people in Arendelle he wanted to avoid the most, Linaeus was _incredibly_ high on that list. And the fact that he was in Fjellby was a horrid detriment to Eryn's plans, _along _with Eryn's lingering doubts. He silently cursed as something on the mountain range caught his eye. On one of the mountains, a blue, crystal-like palace sat just below the summit, standing out amongst the snowy peaks and rocky grays surrounding it. It shined like a lighthouse amidst a thick fog.

"What is _that?_" Eryn asked, pointing at the crystalline fixture.

Elsa let out a long groan, "That's the North Mountain… I made that palace when I fled Arendelle two years ago."

"Ah, Olaf told me a bit about that ordeal. It sounded rough for you."

Elsa released the tension in her arms as she let a small smile take over her face. "It was at first. Since then, I've been able to look back at it and see how far I've come. It feels… good, if I'm going to be honest."

"That's good to hear…" Guilt lodged itself in Eryn's heart. He understood that politicians don't need good reasons to have someone killed, but he couldn't wrap his head around why _anyone _would want Elsa dead. She wasn't a brutal dictator or a ruthless tyrant like he thought. She was kind. She was caring. She loved her people. Eryn said nothing for a while as he formulated what to say.

"I mean, after the duke sent his guards to kill me, anything can be seen as a plus."

"Y- wait, the duke did _what?!_"

Elsa let out a sigh, "I'm sure you've heard about the night my powers were revealed?"

"Y-yes."

"The duke was there that night, doing nothing but perpetuate fear among the people. When I fled to the North Mountain, he sent two of his guards after me to end the eternal winter at any cost."

"I'm assuming 'at any cost' means death?"

"Exactly. After Anna and I unfroze the fjord, I made sure that the Duke paid for his crimes."

"Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask about that. I've heard some interesting things about it."

"Oh, uh, well…"

_One retelling of Frozen later… _

"_Min Gud! _You've been locked up in that castle for _thirteen _godforsaken years?!"

"It was for the best… or so we all thought. It was painful to be separated from Anna and not be able to tell her why. Now, I don't need to hide it anymore!" The queen's face grew sad, "But… n-nevermind…"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"You got all sad for some reason. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"  
"... I'll tell you when we get to Fjellby."

"Is this it up here?"

Elsa looked up at the surrounding area. The town they were in was nestled at the feet of several mountains. It looked exactly like Arendelle proper, save for the lack of the Arenfjord. Few people were out and about as dawn steadily crept over the mountains, filling the town with trickles of light. In the center of the town laid a large statue of a valiant king holding a sword, pointing northward, as if he were commanding the people to keep going north. Just beyond the statue's sword was a rather impressive looking building, decorated in a similar fashion to that of the castle. On every street corner, an Arendellian guard stood watch, like a disgruntled school teacher.

"Y-yes, this is Fjellby."

"Excellent," Eryn said as he maneuvered the cart around the statue, "now all that's left to do is find a place for the cart _and _for ourselves. Speaking of ourselves" Eryn quickly glanced around, "where are those two extra guards you told Bjorgman you'd bring along? I didn't see them the whole trip."

Elsa gave him a grin as her face went bright red, "I didn't bring them."

Eryn's eyes went wide, "What?"

"It's like you said, we can't let people know who I am. Guards would make it too obvious."

"Er, right…" Eryn certainly wasn't expecting that, especially since he gave up the idea of killing her on the road due to fear that they were nearby. _That was incredibly dangerous, _Eryn thought, _she's not that reckless to forget either. Why did she do that? _He shook the thought from his head. Now wasn't the time to think about that sort of thing. What he needed to do was find the local inn or something and set up for the kill.

It was time to finish the job, as much as it hurt his heart to do so…

XXXXXX

Kristoff peered out onto the docks of the Arenfjord. The early morning sun glistened against the waters like a thousand twinkling stars all the way to the horizon. A few ships were already out on the water, filled with fishermen looking for their next big catch. The town itself was quiet, as most people were still sleeping or just starting to set up shop for the day. Everything seemed peaceful this morning, but Kristoff knew better.

He looked down at Arendolk, scowling at Skyne's name etched into the side. A being of pure evil laid dormant in this dagger, and it was up to Kristoff to rid the world of it. With all of his might, Kristoff hurled the dagger into the fjord, watching it land in the water with a satisfying PLUNK. _Hopefully, _he thought as he walked back towards the castle, _that's the last we'll see of that thing._

As Kristoff entered the courtyard, he stopped by a group of two guards. They both snapped to attention at the sight of the Master Ice Harvester and Deliverer.

"Hey, I need to ask you two for something," Kristoff said.

"What is it you need, sir?" the younger of the two replied.

"I need you both to head up to Fjellby, locate the queen, and detain Mr. Ormeister."

Both men looked at him with concern. "Y-yes sir!" They both said as they proceeded to the stables. Seeing them rush off put Kristoff's mind at ease, albeit for the moment. As he walked through the main doors into the main hall, he was shocked to see them immediately return with a certain redhead between them. She was dressed in her regular green and black dress and her hair was already in a bun, which surprised him.

"Anna…" Kristoff began, "You're, uh, up early…"

"Kristoff, did you just tell those men to bring Derrik back here?" Anna said sternly with her hands resting on her hips. Kristoff let out an audible gulp.

"Look, Anna, he doesn't seem trustworthy to me. I even went to the trolls and-"

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose, "Kristoff Bjorgman, I cannot believe you! Derrik is-"  
"I just don't want what happened with Hans to happen again! You two have already been through enough to last a lifetime, I don't want to see you guys get hurt again."

Anna let her arms drop and sighed loudly, "I appreciate your concern, and I'm sure Elsa does too, but we've already taken that into account. Elsa had his papers checked and everything. She wouldn't just let some _random nobody _guard her life, especially someone she just met that day."

It was now Kristoff's turn to sigh. He knew there was no point arguing with her at this point. "Okay, I trust you and Elsa's decisions."

Anna walked up to him and kissed his forehead, "Sorry we didn't tell you that before, things were just happening so quickly that we-"

"It's fine. I understand." He placed his lips onto hers, embracing her warmly. "I'm sorry I went behind your back," he said, breaking the kiss. Anna gave him a seductive grin.

"I know a way you can make that up to me," she purred in his ear. Kristoff's face lit up instantly.

By God, did he love this woman.


	13. The New Plan

Eryn was taken aback by how such a small town could be considered a "provincial capital." He sat on the front porch of the inn he and Elsa were staying at the morning after they arrived alone, contently puffing on a pipe as he watched the people pass by. In a matter of minutes, Eryn was certain he had seen every person in Fjellby at least once. He was also taken by surprise at how _ boring _this town was. It felt like most people around here did nothing but wander the streets and discuss trivial things. Eryn was certain that he heard the question, "How's the family been?" at least fifteen times. He deduced that the fringes of Arendelle were absolutely miserable places to live; they were dreary, miserable, and above all else, monotonous.

But he wasn't here for entertainment, he had a job to do. Eryn released a puff of smoke from his mouth, feeling his mind clearing with each puff on the pipe. He had to find a way to kill the queen, get out of town before people realize what happened, and get to Karnisvarne while trying to avoid any soldiers. Poison was officially off the table, not only because he killed his only means of getting anymore poisonous supplies, but the queen was a little more suspicious of any food she didn't see prepared. There was the old "knife to the throat" routine, quick and noiseless. But would he have time to escape before the body was discovered? He remembered seeing a river nearby, a large and rapid one at that. Maybe he could "accidentally" push her in and let nature take its course. Eryn let out a discontented sigh, releasing a plume of smoke around his head, clouding his vision. This was supposed to be a simple job: kill the queen, return to Karnisvarne, collect the gold, become a legend…

… If it was a simple job, then why was it so difficult?

It had been over a month since he was hired to kill the queen. Usually, he'd have the target dead within the week. Eryn had killed several people much more difficult than the queen, he fondly remembered impaling an Ottoman general trained in swordfighting, so the fact that he couldn't take down a woman with _ no combat experience _within a few weeks hurt his pride. All because of that stupid, haughty… kind, beautiful, caring, gentle... Eryn tried shaking these thoughts from his head until-

"Um, Derrik?"

"JESUS CHRIST!" Eryn jumped from his seat, dropping the pipe from his mouth. He snapped his head to find Elsa standing next to him with her arms wrapped around herself. She was wearing a plaid red and white commoner dress, her hair hidden behind the same white bonnet she had brought with her. "Oh, sorry," Eryn said, "I was thinking that you'd want to rest a bit, we had a long day yesterday."

"I don't sleep that much," Elsa replied, taking a seat next to him, "Lot of long nights as queen of a small country, unfortunately."  
"Anna doesn't help you?"

"She wants to help me, but I…" The queen let out a small sigh, "I feel like I need to do this myself."

"That… doesn't sound healthy. Why put all that stress on yourself?"

"Two years ago, I froze the Arenfjord, I ran away from everything, and I nearly _ killed _ my own sister. Not only that, but Arendelle… isn't the strongest nation in the world. A sudden shift in the monarchy will do that to a country. I feel like taking the reins myself would prove that I'm worthy of being a queen."

"You won't have to prove yourself if you wind up dead from all this stress, you know. Every great monarch doesn't throw the weight of the world on their shoulders."

"Every great monarch isn't a colossal screw-up either."

"Elsa," Eryn placed a hand on her shoulder, "I've only known you for about a month, and even I can see that you're the farthest from being 'a screw-up' than anyone I've ever met. If you feel like you need to prove yourself to the people, you've already succeeded. The people of Arendelle _ adore _you, especially in the capital! I've never even seen any king or queen mingle with the people like you do. And as for the rest of the world, if they can't see the dedication and love you have for Arendelle, they can fall into the ocean for all I care. But I cannot stress this enough: don't push yourself too far. Arendelle still needs you."

Elsa smiled warmly as she brought her own hand to Eryn's, causing his heart to race. "Thank you, I-I needed that." Eryn returned her smile with the same amount of warmth. Guilt soon wormed its way into Eryn's heart. Elsa poured her heart out to him, and here he was thinking about killing her. Seeing her like this reminded him of his early years, when he was well and truly alone.

"I'm always here… if you need me…" Eryn tried to hide the sadness in his voice. Elsa lifted herself up from the porch and proceeded to walk back into the inn.

"I'll be taking a nap, then," she said, "I'll see you in a few hours."

"You sure you won't need me for that? In case someone gets a bright idea?"

Elsa let out a small squeak as she was about to walk into the door. "Uh, n-no. It would draw too much attention."

"Are you sure?"  
"Positive."

Eryn let out a small, and slightly disappointed, sigh, "Very well, have a nice nap, then."

"Thank you," with that, Elsa walked back into the tavern to her room.

Eryn ran his fingers through his hair as his heart returned to a normal beat. Eryn had been ignoring his feelings for over a month now, but this time, there was no denying it: He had serious feelings for Elsa.

_ I can't go through with this, _ Eryn thought, scrambling for his pipe. _ She doesn't deserve this, _ any _ of this! _ He let out a small sigh as he picked up the pipe. It was cracked along the side where it hit the ground. _ It's no use, I already took the fool's money, he won't be satisfied until she's dead… _

_ ...Or _ thinks _ she's dead. _

Eryn's face lit up as a perfect idea filled his thoughts. It was a genius plan: return to Arendelle, spread a rumor that the queen was dead, return to Karnisvarne to collect the reward, _ then _lead the guards to the man and arrest him. After that, Eryn would make his escape and never return to Arendelle ever again. It pained him, but it was the best option for Elsa's safety.

Eryn rose from the porch and hurried back into the inn. As it was early in the morning, few people were up and about. To his left was the fireplace, where the innkeeper, a tall elderly gentleman with a short grey beard and no hair on his head, was busy sweeping around the various chairs that encircled the hearth. Moving past him, Eryn bolted up the stairs and to the left. As he approached his room, he fumbled the key out of his pocket, jammed it into the lock, and quickly darted inside. Across from his bed laid a small wooden desk, with a fresh piece of parchment and an ink well with a quill resting in it. Moving over to the desk, he pulled the quill out of the well and began scribbling out:

_ Queen is dead _

_ Meet in Karnisvarne _

_ Don't draw suspicion _

Eryn gave the ink a second to dry before rolling it up and shoving it into his jacket. He felt awful for abandoning Elsa like this, but he knew that with all the guards here would be more than enough to help her.

_ I hope you can forgive me, Elsa, _he thought as he quickly strode out of the room.

XXXXXX

Elsa slammed the door to her room behind her, covering her mouth. She should've confessed her feelings right then and there. He was so kind and thoughtful with his words, too. Why didn't she? Elsa felt incredibly stupid. She untied the bonnet from her head, allowing her blond braid to cascade down her shoulder. Elsa secretly hated that thing. Maybe she had it on too tight or something, but it was starting to give her a migraine. As she ran her fingers through her hair, Elsa pondered how _ exactly _she would tell him. Maybe the two of them could take a short walk around the town, or even find somewhere to eat. She had no idea when the best time would be. This romantic love stuff was better left to Anna. Elsa was secretly impressed at Anna and Kristoff's relationship, how it looked and felt so natural. Maybe she should wait until this all blew over and then ask Anna.

Elsa walked over to her bed and unceremoniously flopped onto it. _ Derrik was right, this _ was _ the best decision, _she thought before dozing off completely.

XXXXXX

"Woah," Kristoff panted. He was currently sprawled out on the floor, completely exhausted. Anna was right beside him, similarly spent and breathing heavily. Her hair was matted to her head with sweat.

"Told you this was great!" She said, cheeks flushed from adrenaline, "Y'wanna go again?"

"Already? Aren't you tired?"

"Not at all."

"What about that meeting today?"  
"We'll have time, trust me."

"...Okay, one more time."

"You're the best, honey," Anna picked up the sword she was using and lifted herself off of the floor of the training grounds. Kristoff did the same as he readied himself for another round. Anna flew at the mountain man, who parried her attacks with ease. Kristoff tried his hand at landing a strike, but was similarly thwarted.

"Y'know, when you said there was a way for me to make this up, I thought you had something else in mind."

"Are you gonna talk or are you gonna fight?" Anna twirled around before going back in for another series of blows.

By God, _ did he love this woman. _

XXXXXX

Eryn casually strolled through the streets of Fjellby, avoiding as many guards as possible. The sun was hanging low over the mountains, meaning he would arrive in Arendelle at the perfect time. It didn't help, however, that it felt like around every corner there were a handful of guards. Making matters worse was that there only one way both in and out of Fjellby. Several people tried to stop him for a quick chat. The people of Fjellby were a social bunch, Eryn thought, mostly likely because they were so isolated. New people must be as rare as unicorns or something around these parts.

As Eryn approached the road out of Fjellby, he noticed a small group of guards converging around the statue in the center. Looking over the men, Eryn stopped for a moment. Among them, a tall man with broad shoulders and a thick red mustache was directing the other guards, and judging from his facial expressions, these men were a bunch of idiots. _ I-it can't be _ Eryn thought, _ is it? _ Before Eryn had any chance to react, the large commander shot his head up, making direct eye contact with Eryn. Panicking, Eryn bolted down an alleyway with blazing speed.

"HEY! STOP!"

He heard the shouting of guards and the shuffling of feet behind him as he ducked in and out of roads. After a few minutes, Eryn was able to catch his breath in behind a group of barrels. Panting heavily, Eryn knew that every guard in Fjellby would be on his tail at this point. Now, there only seemed to be one option he had left.

"Might as well get an earful now," Eryn mumbled as he pulled the dagger out of its sheath. How was he going to explain all of this to the dagger? Would it just _ allow _him to abandon this contract? It seemed more adamant on getting this kill than before. The idea to abandon it afterwards came into his head, but he decided to wait until he was out of Fjellby to make a final decision.

He brought the dagger up to his palm but stopped before slicing into his hand. He expected to be greeted by the familiar runes of the blade. But, there was none. The handle wasn't even the same, it looked more like a modern hunting knife. Eryn racked his memory to where he left the real dagger and where this one came fro-

That's when Eryn remembered who gave him his knife. Just before he and Elsa left.

_ "Olaf found this in your bedroom. Wouldn't want you to lose it…" _

"BJORGMAN!" Eryn growled. How could he have been so stupid? Of course he didn't forget the knife, the reindeer fucker took it! _ How _did he get it?! None of that mattered, all he had to do was get back to Arendelle, get his knife back, and kill the son of a-

Eryn found himself hoisted off of the ground and pinned against the cobbled walls of a nearby building. The familiar sight of the commander from the statue greeted him, his eyes narrowing on the man.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here… Eryn."


	14. The Reunion

Eryn had to admit, the cell he was thrown into wasn't the worst he'd been in. It wasn't the largest nor was it the most well lit, but he had been locked away in literal caves before. They were even kind enough to give him a bed, unlike many other dungeons he'd been in. The cell was underneath the local barracks in the heart of town, a usual setup for small villages so that it's harder for criminals to escape. Eryn laid back on the bed cot in the corner of the cell, placing his hands behind his head. Linaeus had to do… something or other, Eryn was too busy cursing out the ice harvester in his head to pay attention. When could that oaf have taken the dagger? He was better than that! Eryn bounced his foot angrily as he imagined burying his knife into the ice man's throat for making him look like a dumbass. His mind then shifted to how Anna would react, seeing her fiance dead in a pool of his own blood. I'd be gone before anything could be done about it, so why not just beat the shit out of him and split? He thought, concentrating on the wooden floor above him. God, Eryn. When did you go soft… oh, right….

As he schemed about the future, he heard loud footsteps thudding down the staircase. Turning his head, he saw Linaeus arriving at the foot of the stairs, glaring at him with hands clasped behind his back. Eryn took special note of the various medals and ribbons that adorned the man's jacket as they glistened in torchlight.

"As if I didn't have enough problems already, you just had to show up…" Linaeus growled.

"Ah, Linaeus," Eryn chuckled, "Got yourself a promotion, I see?"

"Shove it, Eryn! you have some gall to show up in Arendelle again. Especially after what you did."

"Oh? You mean brought justice to a family where you and this godawful country refused to? Besides, I needed to come back. I've got important business here..."

"And what, pray tell, would that 'important business' be?"

Eryn let out a soft chuckle, "Well, I've found a glass slipper from the royal ball and I've been looking for the maiden who lost it…"

"Do I look like I have time for this foolishness, Eryn?"  
Eryn swung his feet to the side of the bed, "Ah, there's the old 'no nonsense' Lenny I remember! It's just like the old military days all over again!"  
"Don't. Call. Me. That. You lost your right to call me that when you betrayed Arendelle."

"Why do you care so much about this shithole, anyway? Not like this place did anything for you."

"A soldier doesn't expect anything in return for service to his country. Not that you'd understand," Linaeus approached the cell bars. Eryn could see veins protruding from Linaeus's neck.

"Oh, puh-lease, Lenny, we both know why you signed up in the first place."

"Don't you dare, Eryn…"

"You joined up to try and get close to the crown princess, to woo her with your devotion to this backwards country."

Linaeus's face turned bright red, "L-like you had a more noble reason to enlist!"

"It was like most wide eyed new recruits, I wanted to make a name for myself in this world; become famous, earn some glory, the usual things boys join up for."

"Eryn, you and I both know there's more to it than that."

The assassin let out a gruff sigh, "Always perceptive, aren't you, Lenny? Arendelle only cares about the high and mighty of society. Look at how they put Urlaf on a pedestal while ignoring the people he ruined."

"Ugh, this again? Urlaf was a good ma-"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DEFEND THAT RAPIST, YOU IGNORANT MORON!" Eryn jumped from the bed and marched over to the bars of the cell, meeting Linaeus's face with his own.

"Oh, I see what's going on here…"

"Do you now?"  
"You were jealous of Urlaf, so you made up an excuse to kill him-"

Eryn struggled not to strangle Linaeus through the bars. "Her name was Malia. She was only sixteen when Urlaf violated her. Her father and mother were threatened with charges of treason if they tried anything. I get that you idolized the bastard, but do you understand that doesn't mean 'suck his cock every waking second?'"

"Why would Urlaf try and cover up something like that? Especially when King Agnarr had two daughters of his own, surely he'd interve-"  
"You say that as if Agnarr would've given a damn," Eryn began pacing the small room, "He locked the two of them up in the castle, didn't he? Even then, the bastard was too busy throwing men to the north trying to get through some fog to care about anyone else, especially his own people."

"This is about your father, isn't it?"

"Don't you dare bring him into this!"

"I remember seeing that report. An entire platoon, lost in an avalanche due north of here. Eryn, I-"

"Don't even act like you understand. When he died, no one came to inform us, my mother and I had to find that out from an ice harvester who was passing through. But, no, I understand completely. I mean, two months later, when my mother was taken by illness, Arendelle didn't do anything to help, either. Why try and help an eight year old with nowhere to go to when there's a group of FUCKING TREE PEOPLE to save?!" Eryn kicked the stone wall with all his might, letting out a small whimper as he limped back to where Linaeus was standing.

"You can't expect a government to oversee all of its subjects. I'm sorry that happened to you but-"

"This isn't about me. What about Malia? A sixteen year old girl who was violated by the highest ranking general in Arendelle, and she never saw justice. You had a sister, Linaeus, surely you would understand."

Linaeus paused for a moment, almost as if he was contemplating Eryn's words. "How do you know Urlaf did any of this? This is a serious thing to accuse him of…"

"I saw it. The night I left, I was on night patrol when I saw him drag her to her tent. I saw the blood on her forehead where he struck her. I took his knife while he had his way with her, and slit his throat with it. After that night, I made it my mission to make Arendelle remember my name, no matter what." Eryn's memory fell onto that horrid night, how the knife began talking as the general's blood ran through the runes etched into the blade. He remembered how it slipped into his mind, projecting a strange voice into his mind.

You wish to be remembered, boy? To etch your name and likeness into the hearts and minds of all throughout the world?

More than anything.

And you would be willing to do anything?

Yes...

Submit to me, then, and I will give you the power to ensure no one will ever forget you…

Eryn decided to omit this information, knowing it would surely land him a permanent stay in an asylum. Linaeus processed this information, a worried look plastered on his face.

"Eryn… I want to believe you, I really do, but there isn't really any kind of viable proof that-"

"Malia moved to Karnisvarne. She still lives there today, next to the Abhramsons. You remember Rolond, right?"

"Heh, how could I forget Rolond? Old man has a heart of gold and a will of steel."

"I'm sure she'd be more open about it now, especially with Elsa in charge."

"Ye- wait! How do you know Elsa well enough to call her by her first name?"

Fuck, Eryn thought as his whole body went rigid, "Well, I, uh… it's a bit of a long story honestly…"

Linaeus's eyes went wide, "Eryn, you're not back in Arendelle for the reason why I think you're back, are you?"

"Depends on what you're thinking…"

"Are you here to kill Elsa?"

"What makes you think that?"  
"You want to make sure that Arendelle never forgot who you were. What else would do that than killing the queen herself? So I'll ask again, are. You. Here. To. kill. Elsa?"

Eryn felt his heart sink to his stomach. He contemplated his answer for a moment before saying, "That… was the idea at first…"

"'At first?!' What in the hell do you mean 'at first?!'" Eryn could see the veins in Linaeus's neck bulge out again as his eyes narrowed in on him.

"Keep your pants on, I was going to call it off before you decided to butt in. Some old bag in Karnisvarne paid a king's ransom in Weselton gold for her head on a pike."

"What was a man with Weselton gold doing in Arendelle of all places?"

"Makes sense, going to Søderlund, the place that hates Arendelle's guts so much the whole province would sing of her death for generations. You're the only one who really loves this place from there."

"So what changed? Why were you going to call it off?"

"...Because she turned out a lot different than I had anticipated. Here I was thinking there was another Runeard or Agnarr on the throne, but Elsa… Elsa's completely different. She's kind, caring, and her heart's full of love for her people. So full in fact, that she doesn't have enough room to love herself. She feels like she needs to put the weight of the world on her shoulders, that she needs to prove herself to the world that she's worthy. It's… heartbreaking, in a word. I didn't think she deserved to die…"

Linaeus let out a deep sigh, "You should've seen her when Agnarr and Iduna were still around. You remember the induction posts, right?"

"Y'mean where we had to serve a whole year as castle guards before being deployed anywhere else? I've noticed they've added onto the whole place…"

"Heh, well I managed to see Elsa a fair bit during my time," Linaeus let out a long sigh, "Poor thing always walked around cradling herself, never allowing anyone else to touch her. She always looked like she was on the brink of tears."

"Must've been even worse when the king and queen died."

"You're not the one who had to break the news to them. Both Anna and Elsa. They were devastated. Elsa didn't leave her room for months, not even to attend their funeral. It reminded me of Freya when our father died."

Eryn felt guilt resonate through his body. He remembered hearing Linaeus talk about his sister before she took her own life, how she was bubbly and full of life, and how her death inspired him to join the military. Imagining Elsa in that same position felt like a kick in the chest.

"So you'd do anything in your power to protect her?"

"Absolutely, even if it meant I had to scale Yggdrasil itself."

"Then listen to me, she's currently here in Fjellby, at the Sleepy Troll Inn, top room on the left. Make sure she's safe and I'll hand you the man who hired me."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Linaeus!"

The two men averted their gazes to the staircase. Eryn felt his blood run cold. Elsa was standing there in her commoner clothes, her hands placed on her hips and looking quite annoyed.

"Ma'am I'm sorry, but visiting hours are-" Elsa undid the bonnet she was wearing to reveal her long platinum blond braid. Linaeus went pale as his eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Y-Your Majesty!"

"Linaeus, why is my bodyguard incarcerated?!"

"Bodyguard?!"

Eryn scratched his head, "Yyyeah, probably should've told you that…"

Linaeus shot Eryn a dirty look before returning to the queen, "Elsa I had no idea this was your… personal guard."

"Having some old bag shoot at you will do that-"

"Derrik, I don't want to hear it. Linaeus, release him immediately."

"Derrik? Since when have you gone by that, Eryn?"

"What?!" Elsa began tapping her foot on the floor.

Eryn slapped his hand up against his face as he felt the room get colder. Think of something, you idiot! He thought.

"Um… Derrik is my middle name! I use it whenever I need to, uh, avoid Weselton following me…"

Linaeus gave Eryn a death glare as he fumbled with the keys to the cell. With a loud clanking noise, the cell door swung open as Eryn casually walked out.

"Elsa, if I may-" Linaeus began.

"You have a lot to explain, Linaeus!" Elsa snapped, "I sent you up here to process the bandit situation, and you never reported back! Not only that, you threw my personal bodyguard in prison for no reason! Care to explain what Derrik did?"

"Because 'Derrik' is… wait, you haven't been receiving my letters?"

It was Elsa's turn to look shocked, "Letters? As in more than one? How many have you been sending?"

"I've been writing one every day for the past month."

"The past month? I haven't gotten a single letter! So you've taken care of the bandit situation, then?"  
"That's just it, there aren't any bandits around here, at least from what I've seen. I've tried talking to Governor Haadrikson about it, but he simply just waves my recommendations of withdrawal off with a 'they're out there, I just know it!'"

Elsa pursed her lips, deep in thought. "We'll discuss this tomorrow, Linaeus," she said, "For now, just make sure no one knows I'm here, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Linaeus saluted the queen as she returned her bonnet to her head, concealing her hair. Eryn gave Linaeus a small nod before turning to Elsa, who gave him a ferocious glare that could scare wolves. He honestly never seen her this mad since… well, since two days ago. God, she looks hot when- DAMMIT! NOT NOW! He thought as she walked up the stairs. Eryn followed suit, unsure of what the queen had in store for him.

XXXXXX

"I cannot believe you got yourself arrested, Derrik!" Elsa scolded in a hushed tone, "I thought the idea was that we needed to be hidden around here." The two of them were back in The Sleepy Troll Inn, next to the fireplace. Eryn sat in a velvet chair, watching the flames in the hearth dance around the charred logs as he contemplated his answer.

"It's not like I was expecting to run into Linaeus," Eryn retorted, "Man's always been high strung ever since we met."

"That's another thing, why didn't you tell me you knew Linaeus? I'm sure I could've arranged something more friendly between you tw-"  
"The last time Linaeus and I met was less than friendly. Asshole gave me a black eye, I broke several of his ribs. Even told me that if I ever came back, he'd be the one to string me up on the gallows." Looking over to Elsa, Eryn was confused on whether or not she was shocked at him calling Linaeus an asshole or finding out what had happened between Eryn and Linaeus.

"Linaeus wouldn't do tha-"

"Men can do awful things when people don't care enough!" he snapped. He watched as Elsa's eyes went wide. "S-sorry."

"What drove you two apart?" Elsa took a seat in the chair right next to him, leaning against the armrest. Eryn let out a small sigh.

"I witnessed a man Linaeus looked up to, who he aspired to be one day, commit a horrid atrocity. I tried to explain it to him, but he wouldn't believe me. I… had to take matters into my own hands. Ended up getting called a traitor and had to run for my life."

"I-I can't believe Linaeus would do something like that. He's never been like that around us before."

"My guess is that he didn't want the image of his role model tainted. He was a different man back then, with big aspirations. I don't blame him for reacting the way he did, but it pained me that he still holds some kind of grudge."

Elsa placed her hand on his arm, "Derrik, I'm sorry that happened. When this is all over, I'll look into this myself and make sure Linaeus doesn't bother y-"

"I appreciate that, your majesty, but that won't be necessary."

"Of course it is. You've done so much for us already, keeping me and Anna safe, apprehending the man who poisoned me, it only makes sense that I do something to help you."

Gulit settled in the bottom of Eryn's heart like sediment along the bottom of a river. "I-I think I'll turn in for the night. Got a big day ahead of us," he said rising up from his seat

"Derrik, are you sure?" Elsa asked as she followed suit.

"Positive, g'night," Eryn hastily walked up the stairs and slinked back into his room. He softly closed the door behind him and slumped against it. Here she was, offering to help him and for what? He had tried to kill her twice, lied to her face multiple times, and even attacked her brother in law. He just needed to get away from this hellhole once and for all once this situation with the governor had been resolved.

Strangely enough, Eryn's thoughts lingered back on his father. What would he think, seeing Eryn as nothing more than a shifty murderer? How would he react seeing his son disgrace his name, going around lying and ruthlessly killing people? Eryn buried his head in his hands as he felt tears form in the corners of his eyes for the first time in years.

One way or another, he needed to leave Arendelle behind forever, for his and Elsa's sake.

XXXXXX

The moon shined high over the Arenfjord, its rays dancing on the water in spectacular fashion. The people of Arendelle were fast asleep, save for a small tavern in the heart of the town called The Summer Flurry, named in honor of the queen's magic. Inside, a small group of men were gathered around a fairly large table, each cloaked to hide their faces. Everyone huddled together and began talking in hushed tones.

"It's been over a month! What has he been doing?!"  
"Is he dead? He has to be!"

"She's just one woman! How can some ditzy broad best Eryn?"

The man in the middle slammed his fist onto the table, silencing the others almost immediately.

"Look, it's obvious that Eryn has failed," the mysterious man said in a soft hushed tone, his voice nasally and high pitched, "It's onto us now to finish the job."

"How?" one of the others whispered, this time a rough and coarse voice, "Eryn knew the most out of all of us, and if he's out of the picture-"

The man in the middle pulled his cloak back to reveal a middle aged man with blond hair and an eyepatch covering his left eye. The light of the lantern in the center of the table glistened in his working sapphire eye. "Not a problem," he said, "We have enough information to work with. There's a meeting in the North Wing tomorrow around 6:30. We just throw this in the room," he pulled out a small round metal ball with a small cotton string sticking out of the top, "and BOOM! The queen is blown to bits."

"And Eryn?"

"Fuck him, he had his chance! We'll just take the gold for ourselves and leave this hellhole once and for all!"  
Everyone at the table murmured in agreement. The time for waiting has passed, and the time for action is now.

Tomorrow night, this charade ends, and the Snow Queen will be dead...


	15. The Incident

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Eryn muttered as he and Linaeus made their way to the governor's residence. The sun began to set over the mountains as twilight soon came. The streets were empty, save for a few guards on their patrols, all of whom gave Linaeus a quick salute.

"Come on, Eryn," Linaeus whispered, "I've heard you've done much worse than this."

"Usually I get the basic information before jobs like these. Guard patrols, entrances, exits, things like that. Going in blind is an easy way to get killed."

"Not to worry, just stick with me until I'm alone with the governor and you'll have free reign of the place."

"What do you need me to find again?"

"I've been giving my reports to Governor Haadrikson for the past month. I just need you to either find them or find out what he did with them. _Without _him knowing, of course."

"Pretty underhanded, for a man of the law such as yourself."

"But just the right kind of underhandedness for a cutthroat outlaw, like you."

Eryn shrugged his arms, "Eh, can't argue with that."

"Alright, now that we've established that, how and why did you get to be Elsa's personal guard? Something about a shooting?"

"Long story short, some old bastard tried killing Elsa in broad daylight, I stepped in, took a bullet, and, well, here we are."

Linaeus leaned closer to Eryn, "If you're here to kill her, why save her?"

"I forgot what she looked like, okay? Not like I was able to see her before, you know."

"I guess 'basic information' doesn't include appearance, then?"

"I wasn't expecting to run into her on the _street._ Monarch's don't really do that anywhere else."

"Elsa's different like that, if you haven't noticed. Alright, looks like we're here."

The two men stood in front of the large mansion that had greeted Eryn and Elsa when they first arrived. It resembled Arendelle castle, though not anywhere near as large and much duller looking without magical ice accenting the building. A small gate stood between the two of them and the palace itself, manned by a younger looking man, no older than eighteen. He stood at attention as he gripped his poleaxe tightly. Eryn looked over to Linaeus, who seemed to be chewing on his lower lip and clenching his fists.

"Don't tell me you're _scared,_ Lenny."

"It's just, I-I've never gone behind a government official's back before. I haven't been this nervous since-"

"Since we accidentally spilled mead into the horses' feeding trough when we were recruits?"

"Since _you_ spilled mead in their trough, you mean?"

"How could I forget you grovelling for mercy when the general asked about it? We ended up cleaning the barracks for a month."

"Because you tried to _lie_ about it," Linaeus let out a small chuckle, "Said that Valkyries came down and hid it in the troughs-"

"-so that the gods would sober up," they both said at the same time. The two men let out a hearty chuckle as they reminisced on a better time.

"...Linaeus," Eryn said once they were done laughing, "Once this is all done, can you check on Rolond and Astrid for me? I doubt I'll have time before I leave to say my goodbyes."

"I was planning on checking in on them once I went to verify your claims against Urlaf. But that's neither here nor there, we have a job to do."

Eryn nodded as they made their way up to the young man guarding the entrance. He had a feeling that Elsa goaded Linaeus to look into Urlaf's crime, but he was still thankful nonetheless. Eryn let out a deep sigh, thinking about how he wouldn't be able to see Malia get the peace and justice she was denied so many years ago. But he knew that it was for the best that he disappeared, for himself and everyone else. The young guard snapped to attention as Linaeus walked up to him, hands clasped behind his back.

"Captain Torvond, sir!" The guard saluted, raising his hand to his head.

"At ease, son," Linaeus commanded as the young man relaxed his arm, "I'm here to speak with Governor Haadrikson. Is he available?"

"Yes, sir. He's currently in his office at the moment."

"Take me to him, then." As the two soldiers began walking past the gate, Eryn followed suit, only to have the young guard point his poleaxe at him.

"No citizens are allowed in here!" he growled.

"Keep your pants on, soldier. Er- I mean, 'Derrik,' is here with me."

The soldier immediately returned his poleaxe to its resting position, fear enveloping his face. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I had no idea."

"It's fine, cadet. Now, to the governor, if you will."

The young soldier turned around and led Linaeus and Eryn inside the mansion. Linaeus leaned back to Eryn and whispered, "What's your alias's last name?"

"What?"

"Just in case Haadrikson needs to know."

"Ormeister. And the story is I'm from Weselton."

Linaeus simply nodded as they entered the front door into the main hall. It was certainly in Arendellian fashion; crocuses were intricately painted into the walls and carved into the railing of the staircase in front of them, green and purple banners hung from the walls, and various paintings of the kings and queens of old lined the room. At the base of the staircase stood a fat man,lavishly dressed in a suit that barely fit his wide frame, discussing something with a guard. He was balding at the top, with wisps of dark brown hair on the sides of his head and a rather short and thin beard. He turned to view the men that arrived and gave them a somewhat surprised and forced grin.

"Ah, Captain!" he said, his voice heavy and lethargic, "How… unexpected!"

"Apologies, Governor Haadrikson," Linaeus said, "I just needed to discuss a few things about the city's defenses. The queen has approved a few more soldiers to be transferred to Fjellby."

Governor Haadrikson beamed at the information, "Yes, yes, wonderful!" He then turned to face Eryn, "And who's _this?"_

"Derrik Ormeister, sir. He's here on behalf of the queen."

The governor clasped his hands together, "Ah, yes. I've heard about you, Mr. Ormeister, _and _your heroic deed."

Eryn gave a small bow, "It was nothing, sir. I'm sure anyone else would've done the same."

"A commendable effort, nonetheless. Now, captain, shall we discuss these matters in private?"

"Yes, sir." The two of them proceeded up the stairs as the man Haadrikson was talking to returned to his post. Eryn proceeded up the stairs with them, tailing behind ever so slightly as they discussed a few things. The hallways were similar to that of the castle, but instead of portraits of Anna and Elsa, they were filled with portraits of the governor, slightly thinned out and performing various heroic deeds. Eryn rolled his eyes as he continued to follow the governor and Linaeus until they reached a large oak door embroidered with gold trimming. He watched as the two of them entered inside and quickly slammed the door shut, leaving Eryn alone in the hall.

"Pompous cock," Eryn muttered as he surveyed the immediate area. No guards around, thank God. Made his job a lot easier. "... Now where to start?"

XXXXXX

Kristoff ran his finger across the spines of the library's books, scanning their titles with determination. True, he had tossed the Arendolk into the fjord, but something still didn't sit right with him. If the dagger was so important to this region, why would someone from _Weselton_ have it? He remembered hearing something about Aren the Red during the few talks he had with Elsa, but that was a while ago. Anna would most likely know about Aren the Red and the Arendolk's history, but he didn't want to interrupt her meeting with the council. He never understood why the council scheduled meetings this late, but he didn't bother to argue. They'd just brush him off as some uncultured barbarian or something, anyway.

"Ah, this one should work," he said to himself as he pulled an old looking book off of the shelf, "_Histories of the Peoples of Arendelle." _It was a massive book, bound in leather with the book's title calligraphed along the spine and on the front. Kristoff cracked the book open, searching for any information regarding the knife. After a moment of searching, Kristoff found an entire section on the founding of Arendelle, including a section on the Arendolk. Kristoff read the passage in his head:

_THE ARENDOLK: forged around 840, little is known about this mysterious weapon. It was the personal hunting knife of Aren the Red, later Aren I, the founder of the Kingdom of Arendelle. The knife was lost in 890, after Aren's son, Alen Arenson, killed his father to gain the throne. No record exists on what happened to it after this date, nor if it still exists. Ancient Arendellian legend says that Skyne, bastard son of the moon god Máni in ancient myth, was sealed within the blade by trolls, but this is unfounded._

Kristoff closed the book with a loud groan. It was a step in the right direction, but it was incredibly brief. He returned to the shelves, peering at the books, when he found something peculiar. A miniature old book, barely held together by a few bindings and leather, sat behind where _Histories of the Peoples of Arendelle _rested. Kristoff pulled the book out and flipped it open. It appeared to be a series of ancient poems and stories, many of them translated from ancient runes. Kristoff read the first one aloud:

_Hail to Aren Redbeard,_

_The Conqueror of men_

_Who banished wicked Skyne,_

_The Son of the Blood Moon,_

_With the help of stone-men,_

_And united our lands_

_And people together_

_For thirty years you reigned,_

_As a wise and just king_

_Many years of peace came_

_Until the back-stabbing_

_Betrayed by next of kin_

_Felled by blade of Skyne's bane_

_May you drink with Odin_

_In the Great Hall above_

Kristoff scanned through the other passages, trying to track where the knife went as the years went on, but these poems held no more information. All he knew was that Aren's son killed him, presumably with the dagger, and not much else. He returned to the shelf, scrounging around for any more history books.

It was then when he heard a loud explosion, coming from the direction of the meeting hall

_Moments prior…_

"That should cover just about everything, Your Highness," Kai stated. The sun was beginning to set behind the large window behind Anna's seat as she glanced over the various documents sprawled across the large mahogany desk before organizing them into neat little stacks. The other advisors began gathering their own documents as they shuffled out the door

"Excellent," Anna stated as she placed her quill back into her inkwell.

"I must say, princess, you managed that incredibly well. The queen would be most proud of your work here."

"Thank you, Kai, it means a lot to me," Anna beamed. Rarely did anyone praise Anna on her own work, save for Kristoff and Elsa. Most advisors and diplomats seemed only interested in how Anna stacked up to Elsa (which most of the time she didn't). Hearing Kai say this filled her with a great deal of confidence.

"Will you be needing anything else this evening, Your Highness?"

Before Anna could say anything, a loud crash from behind distracted her. She rose from her seat and peered around, trying to find the source of the noise. To her right, a large black ball sat on the floor, nestled in a sea of shattered glass while it… hissed? It was then when she noticed a large wick protruding out the top, currently lit and burning down to the base. She reeled back in horror as she realized what it was

"BOMB!" was all she was able to get out when she was thrown across the room with a deafening explosion. Her vision went white as her entire body screamed out in agony. She couldn't feel her right leg, only emptiness and pain. It felt like she had been kicked by a horse multiple times. Anna couldn't hear anything but constant ringing as her eyes readjusted. Kai was laying on the floor, motionless as two guards stood above him. Kristoff stood over her, gingerly propping her torso up. His face was drained of color as his warm brown eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He was shouting something, possibly her name, but all she could hear was constant ringing.

"K...Kristoff…" Anna muttered as her body went limp and her eyes closed softly.

"Anna! Stay with me!" Kristoff pleaded, cupping her head in his hand, "Nononono! Don't leave me!" He placed an ear over her heart, praying to God for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Kristoff let out a small sigh of relief.

"Sir Bjorgman, the royal steward is…d-dead," one of the guards explained, "what are your orders?"

Kristoff hoisted Anna into his arms, "Get any doctors you can find. And send someone to Fjellby to inform the queen."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier ran out of the room with haste as Kristoff rushed out of the room with Anna in his arms.

"Anna…" Kristoff whispered, "I-I'm sorry…"

XXXXXX

"Hmmm, not this one," Eryn said as he closed another door. This was about the fourth or fifth room he's checked and there was nothing of interest in there once again. Those reports had to be somewhere. As Eryn snuck around, his mind wandered to what he would do once he was done with this. Corona was a decent option, as it was the closest country to Arendelle. But its alliance with Arendelle might make things difficult. Maldonia was attractive too because it was distant and slightly isolationist. No, Eryn was too different looking for Maldonia. To hell with it, he'd just be better off finding the nearest cliff and jumping. Less mess, plus no one would know who he was. _Dying a nobody,_ Eryn thought, _Like father, like son, as they say._

His mind wandered back to Elsa. No way in hell he would be able to go back to her once this was all over with. Eryn wasn't sure if he could look her in the eyes anymore. For the first time in his life, Eryn felt disgust in himself and his actions. _What in the hell did this woman do to me?_ He shook off this feeling as he peered into another room.

This room was much more spacious than many of the others. It appeared to be a guest bedroom, with a large king size bed in front of a gothic looking fireplace. On the nightstand just to the bed's left, Eryn could make out a stack of papers cluttering the top of it.

"Bingo!" Eryn said as he stealthily entered the room. Reaching over to the papers, Eryn grabbed one and began reading it. No doubt, it was one of Linaeus's reports, discussing how there was no danger in or around the settlement. With no hesitation, Eryn scooped up the letters in his hands, placing them in various pockets. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smaller letter lightly float down to the floor. Eryn scooped it up, unfolded it, and began reading:

_Good News,_

_I've managed to hire a killer out of some backwater town to kill the queen. Someone familiar with the region would have a far better chance at assassinating the sorceress than either of our men. And if he were to fail, The Southern Isles and Weselton would appear innocent. Just have Haadrikson continue requesting more and more soldiers for this town so that we can prepare the invasion fleet. I had to pay an exorbitant amount for this "assassin," so I better be getting a good return on my investment._

Instead of a signature on the bottom, Eryn noticed a wax seal stamped onto the parchment paper. The symbol of the Duchy of Weselton was embossed into the wax.

"I was hired by-"

"The Duke of Weselton, yes," A mysterious voice said behind him accompanied by the sound of a gun cocking. Eryn turned around to see who it was that cornered him. A young looking man, about the same age as Eryn, greeted him with a small revolver in his hand. His emerald eyes looked Eryn up and down, surveying Eryn with intrigue, "_you're _the assassin he hired? I was expecting someone… older."

"Wait, I recognize you. You're-"

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles," The man gave an exaggerated hand wave, "or _former _prince. But that doesn't matter anyway, since once the queen is dead, I'll have this country all to myself. She _is _dead, isn't she."

"Well first of all, you can put that thing down. And second of all, I've come to tell you that the deal's off. Now take your gun and-"

"There is _no_ getting out of this one, Mr. Odrikson," Hans put the gun up to Eryn's face, "But I can tell you're not playing this game anymore. Very well." With that, Hans pulled the trigger. Eryn brought his hands up to protect his face when he felt a slight weight in his hand. As he lifted his head, he saw the dagger, its runes shining brightly, as shadowy tendrils emerged from Eryn's wrist, suspending the bullet in mid air. The familiar sound of Skyne filled Eryn's mind, and in a familiar angry tone as well.

_**You have a **_**lot** _**of explaining to do, boy...**_

**_A/N: DO NOT SPOIL WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS CHAPTER IN THE COMMENTS!_**


	16. The Incident- Part 2

**_A/N: Like the title suggests, this was initially supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but due to the length of it, I chopped it in half._**

**_On the plus side, this is officially the longest chapter I've written, beating Lost in the Wood's Chapter 4 by a decent amount._**

**_with that out of the way, enjoy!_**

_Earlier that evening… _

"Why in the hell are we fishing at this time of day?"

"Shut the fuck up and help me with this net."

As the sun began to dip behind the mountains overlooking Arendelle, two fishermen made their way out into the Arenfjord on a small rickety boat. Each man took a side of a large fishing net and, with all their combined might, tossed it into the water. They waited a few moments before tugging on individual ropes. As they pulled it back onto the boat, the men let out a small groan. Different sized rocks were piled up on the floor of the ship, with not a single fish to be found.

"God dammit!" the older one said, throwing his hat onto the bottom of the boat, exposing his bald head to the twilight air, "Not even a minnow!" he grabbed the net, balling it up in his hands, "Let's try again."

His friend noticed something amongst the rocks. It wasn't a fish, yet it wasn't a rock either. Pushing some of them aside, the man pulled out something oddly peculiar. A knife from the looks of it, its hilt made of some black wood and its blade of strange metal. Some gibberish was written into the side of the blade, but he couldn't make out what it said. He held the weapon aloft to his companion, "What do you suppose this is?"

The old man took a closer look at it, "Hmmm, looks like a murder weapon," he took the blade out of his friend's hand, "By God, it looks old. And that's by _my _standards."

"Should we take it to the guardhouse? Could be worth something to them."

Before the elder man said anything, a loud explosion caught them off guard. The old man's hands jolted, causing the sharp end of the blade to drag across his hand. He dropped it with a loud "FUCK!" as it clattered at the bottom of the boat. Neither of them noticed the man's blood seeping into the runes on the dagger, nor did they notice them glow a bright red.

Skyne groaned as if he had woken up. It was about time Odrikson did something with the queen… wait, this wasn't the queen's blood. It was much older. And more importantly _not magic._ The shade sensed his surroundings for answers.

_**Wh- Where am I? Odrikson, where are you?!**_ No response. All he could sense were two men, neither of them being Odrikson. After a moment, Skyne located where Odrikson was, and it puzzled him. He was north, far north. What in the name of the shadows was he doing up there? Skyne could also tell that he was in a boat, but why? The last thing he remembered was Odrikson… Skyne put two and two together, letting out an ear piercing roar.

_**YOU. B̨̯̣̞̠̹̝͕ͯ̏͊̌̿̒ͭA͉̞ͫͬ̎S̳̦͉̥̰͙̄̅͂̍̄T̤̟͔̭͍͖̺̀A͔̙̱͉̟͑̋̂̇Ṛ̲̱͖͉̐̄ͧͪ̾ͬ̇D͈ͮ̿̈! **_

Skyne sank into the shadows, fixated on Odrikson's position. That runt actually abandoned him! Tried to sink him in the fjord and leave him there! He was so close to getting out of this infernal device, and Odrikson chickened out?! He refused to let this opportunity slip away.

He was getting out of this dagger, one way or another. If it means damning Odrikson, so be it.

What's another soul to his freedom, anyway?

XXXXXX

"Well, you took _your _time getting here."

_**Do I sound like I have time for this foolishness, Odrikson? I am INFURIATED right now!**_

"Can you be pissed some other time? Kinda in the middle of something, here," Eryn gestured to Hans, who still held the revolver up to Eryn's chest. Hans's mouth was agape at the sight before him. Shadowy tendrils still held the bullet he had just fired in the air, as the assassin argued with his weapon.

_**YOU. ABANDONED. ME! Do you honestly think that I would ignore that?!**_

"It wasn't me! The ice boy nicked you when I wasn't looking!"

_**And you didn't feel him take me?! How have you lived this long as an "assassin" with such atrocious awareness of your surroundings?!**_

"Um…" Hans spoke up, "What in the hell is going on here?!"

"Do you mind? Having a bit of an argument here," Eryn pointed to the knife as Hans threw the gun on the floor.

"Ah, to hell with this," Hans drew his sword, tossing the revolver onto the floor, "I'll just kill you the old fashioned way," He swung the sword overhead. Eryn raised the dagger to block it as the tendrils disappeared, the sound of clanging metal resonating in the room.

"The magic, I need the magic!"

_**Why should I?**_

"You need me!"

_**And what makes you think that? Surely this gentleman would be a substantial replacemen-**_

"As if he'd actually do anything with you. He'd probably hang you in his study!" Eryn pushed back on Hans's blade, staggering the red haired man. Hans went back in for another overhead strike as Eryn narrowly dodged to the side.

_**There is one way you can make up for this…betrayal…**_

"And what's that?!"

_**The queen… wet my blade with her blood and I shall consider the abandonment water under the bridge…**_

"_Who _are you talking to?!" Hans demanded, confused at the sight before him.

"Fuck you, that's who!" Eryn darted towards Hans, dagger raised in his hand. Eryn swiped at Hans's neck, who deflected the blade with his own.

_**I will give you this **_**one** _**last chance, Odrikson. Disappoint me again, and it's the last thing you will ever do. Do we have a deal?**_

"Yes, yes! Just- the magic!" Eryn planted his foot on Hans's chest, pushing him out into the hall.

_**Very well…**_ Eryn could feel the cold and numbness coarse through his veins. Hans charged towards him, thrusting his sword at Eryn's chest. Eryn sank into the floor as a shadowy mass, slinking behind Hans like a snake. Eryn emerged and brought the dagger down on Hans's shoulder, only to be blocked again by Hans's sword. Hans swept Eryn's legs out from underneath him as Eryn dragged him down to the floor with him. The two began rolling around the hallway to gain an advantage on one another, tumbling down the stairs. Hans kicked Eryn off of him, knocking him into a suit of armor. Hans darted forward thrusting the sword at the assassin. Eryn summoned inky black tendrils to bring up the chestplate of the armor to block the attack. Hans reeled back as his sword met the metal plate. Eryn transformed into a shadowy blob and tackled Hans to the ground with a loud thud. The assassin thrusted the dagger towards Hans's chest, only for the exiled prince to push his arm away. The two men struggled for some time, trying to overcome the other in a desperate tug of war. A loud gunshot at the base of the stairs forced them to stop.

"Now, now, gentlemen, we mustn't resort to such savagery."

Governor Haadrikson held a revolver in the air. Linaeus knelt beside him, hands bound behind his back and flanked by two guards.

"Eryn Odrikson," the governor chortled, pointing his gun at Eryn, "and the Arendolk. How did a street rat like you get in possession of such a powerful artifact?"

"Picked it up at here in town," Eryn retorted as he rose from the ground, "A small shop called 'Go Fuck Yourself.'"

"I don't have the patience for this, rat. Hans, my boy, why are you tampering with such an… important cog in this scheme of yours?"

"Odrikson's backing out," Hans spat, "He knew too much, I couldn't risk him getting away."

Haadrikson waddled over to Eryn, "Is that so? It appears you're still the same coward that deserted all those years ago, then." Outside a large window, the sun had finished setting as the moon slowly peeked out from the mountains.

_**Odrikson, get him to monologue, at least for the next few minutes.**_

_Why?_

_**JUST DO IT!**_

"Why go to all this trouble? Why lie to the queen's face and side with this bastard?"

"Simply put, I refuse to take orders from a witch. Who's to say she won't turn on us all, with power such as that? So, I was contacted by Mr. Westergard here to play a role in his plot. Frankly, I don't give a fuck who's on the throne, but a monster like that is simply unacceptable."

"How far up your own ass do you have to be to think she's a threat? She wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Then explain to me how even after a month you haven't been able to kill her!"

"I was told she was a monster. I now see that's a boldfaced _lie!"_

"Ah, I see what's going on here. You got tricked by a pretty face and a kind facade. Maybe if you thought with your _head _instead of your _dick, _you would've had results."

Eryn gritted his teeth as he gripped the dagger tightly. He'd never experienced this level of raw anger before in his life. Every part of him screamed for him to claw the governor's throat out.

"Now, Mr. Odrikson," Haadrikson placed the muzzle of the revolver on Linaeus's head, "I'm afraid this little game of yours is over." He placed his finger on the trigger as the moon rose over the mountain. The second the moonbeams hit Eryn's skin through a nearby window, he could feel his anger raise to new levels. Before Haadrikson squeezed the trigger, Eryn's eyes went pitch black as he shot a wave of dark energy out of his hand, severing the governor's hand from his arm. The fat man let out a blood curdling cry as massive shadowy tentacles erupted out of Eryn's back, converging onto the governor. Eryn threw him aside like a limp chew toy as some of the tentacles slashed at Linaeus's bonds. Linaeus sweeped one of the guard's legs out from underneath them, quickly grabbing a sword and hacking at the leg of the other.

_What the hell is this power? _

_**The children of Máni are all given special gifts whenever the moon shines down on them. Even the ones he… refuses to acknowledge.**_

_When were you planning on telling me this?!_

_**I've never told a soul before. They've never gotten this close to aiding me…**_

_Aiding you in what?_

_**Best you worry about them rather than me, Odrikson.**_

"GET HIM YOU FOOLS!" Haadrikson shouted, clutching the stump where his hand used to be. Guards poured into the room, brandishing swords and poleaxes. Eryn darted over to Linaeus's side with the dagger in hand.

"Is that really Arendolk?" Linaeus asked.

"Not the time, Lenny," Eryn retorted, "let's discuss this when we're out of here."

Linaeus simply nodded as two guards came up to him with overhead swings. The captain narrowly dodged one while parrying the other. Eryn summoned an orb of darkness in his palm and launched it at a group of four guards. As soon as it hit them, the shadow grew in size, swallowing them whole. All that anyone could hear was the sounds of screaming and gurgling. When the darkness dissipated, all four laid on the ground, motionless with blackened eyes. Linaeus kicked one of the guards into another separate group.

"I thought you were captain of the guard! Why are they after you?!" Eryn shouted as he deflected a sword swing with the dagger.

"Haadrikson paid them off! How did you get the Arendolk?!" Linaeus responded, swinging his sword at a large group of guards.

"Urlaf had it the night I killed him! Is that answer sufficient?!"

"For now, yes. We need to talk about this shadow magic business later! Make sure Hans doesn't escape!"

"Fine by me!" Was all that Eryn said as he rushed towards Hans.

XXXXXX

Elsa paced around her room impatiently. Derrik and Linaeus left hours ago, how were they still not back? She held herself in her arms as her mind wandered to the worst possible scenario. Perhaps they were caught and were doomed to be hanged unless she revealed herself. Elsa shook the notion out of her head. Surely they wouldn't be that careless to get caught, right?

Elsa stopped pacing momentarily when she heard some kind of commotion from outside her room. Lacing her bonnet around her head, she darted out of the room, hoping to find some answers. At the bottom of the staircase, several people were gathered around the window, observing something out of Elsa's sight. She hurried down to join the sudden throng, standing next to a young boy about five or six years old.

"What's going on?" She asked him, crouching down to his eye level.

"Someone's twying to kill Mr. Haadwikson," the youth replied, pointing out towards the governor's mansion. Elsa looked where the boy was pointing, and couldn't believe her eyes. Derrik and Linaeus were currently clashing swords with several guards and… Hans?

"Dammit!" Elsa shouted, running out the door. She hated being right.

XXXXXX

"Sir Bjorgman," the doctor said, placing a hand on Kristoff's shoulder. Kristoff sat himself in a chair beside Anna's bed, gripping her hand tightly in his. The mountain man said nothing as he watched Anna's unconscious body. Most of her clothing had to be removed, as to make sure some shrapnel didn't strike somewhere important, leaving her with a small modesty wrap around her chest and pelvic region.

"Sir Bjorgman," the doctor repeated, "I-I have good news and bad news…" Kristoff looked up to the man with shock and grief in his eyes, "The good news is that she should recover… but… it's her leg…"

Kristoff stared down to where Anna's legs were. While her left leg looked completely fine, her right leg was a different story. Kristoff hadn't noticed how gnarled and bent it was when he picked her up. Parts of her bone stuck out of the flesh all the way up to her thigh. Her foot was dangling off her leg by a few tendons.

"What's going to happen to her?" Kristoff asked, his voice coarse

"We'll just need to cut the leg off. It's damaged beyond repair and will do her more harm than good."

"Then how will she-"

"Don't worry, son. She'll be able to walk again."

Kristoff sighed in relief. Finally, some good news out of all of this. He gripped Anna's hand tighter than usual. "When will she wake up?"

"That… I'm not sure about. But that'll just make the procedure go that much quicker for her."

Kristoff opened his mouth to say something when a guard entered the room.

"Sir Bjorgman," she said, saluting him, "We've managed to capture one of the terrorists responsible for the explosion."

Kristoff shot up from his chair, "Where is he?" He demanded."

"The dungeons, sir."

"Any others?"

"They're either dead or fled into the sewer system underground. We've got some patrols down there looking, but so far he's the only one we've caught."

Anger settled in the bottom of Kristoff's heart, "Take me to him."

The guard simply nodded and walked out the door with Kristoff following. The mountain man clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. These monsters nearly took his Anna. The _one _thing he had in his life, the one that turned him around for the better, came within an inch of her life _once again _because of these animals. What did she do to deserve this?! Can't she be at peace for once in her life?

When they arrived in the dungeons, Kristoff was met with the familiar stench of misery and mold. The guard took a torch from one of the sconces as she fumbled with the keys to the left most door. Kristoff pushed it open and quickly went inside. He was greeted by a strange looking man, thin and brittle looking. It looked like it took a simple breeze to break every bone in his body. Over his left eye rested an eyepatch, with the other eye a brilliant blue. His hair was as white as Elsa's, but he looked to be only a few years older than Kristoff. The man was currently chained to a point in the middle of the floor.

"Does he have a name?" Kristoff asked.

"Alius 'The Stick' Hoffermire, sir," The guard said, "He comes from the kingdom of Snoob. He's a criminal mastermind responsible for several revolts around the world."

Kristoff eyed the captive man, "Leave us."

"Sir?"

"I want to talk to him personally. And with no interruptions…"

"Y-yes sir!" The guard quickly backed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Kristoff trudged towards Alius, who was smirking wildly.

"You have a lot to answer to," Kristoff growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, do I now?" Alius responded sarcastically, his voice high pitched and nasally, "Where do you want to start?"

"How about with the fact that your little stunt hurt an innocent person today!?"

"She's a politician, none of them are _innocent! _Rats, the lot of 'em!"

The anger in his heart boiled over at that point. Kristoff lunged towards Alius, knocking him to the ground and wrapping his hands around his throat, "Don't. You. _Dare. _Talk about my fiance like that you weasel!"

"W-Wait!" Alius said, "The queen isn't supposed to be courting anyone, let alone be affianced."

"YOUR BOMB HIT THE PRINCESS!"

"The _Princess?! _Where's the queen, then?!"

"That isn't what we're talking about, now is it?!"

"Goddammit, Eryn," the man muttered, " what've you done with her now?"

Kristoff brought Alius to his face, "Who?!"

XXXXXX

Eryn darted towards Hans, readying the dagger for a strike. Hans deflected it with his sword as he prepared his own attack. The two men clashed blades, bringing their faces within inches of each other.

"All this and for what?" Hans said, "So you're no longer some nobody? So people would be forced to remember you?"

"What's your excuse, then?" Eryn retorted, "Couldn't let them beat your ass once, so you came back to get it kicked again?"

"At least I'm not some forgotten orphan who wasted his days playing killer!"

"Nah, you're just some _rich pompous asshole _who wasted his days playing killer!"

"Do you really think she'll care for you once she knows the truth? How you came here to kill her for money and fame? You'll be lucky if she doesn't wedge an icicle in your heart! She's killed before and she'll do it aga-"

Before Hans had a chance to finish his sentence, Eryn pushed him back.

"_**I've had enough of your lies!" **_Eryn growled, his voice layered with that of Skyne's, as if they were both talking simultaneously. His arm became enveloped in shadows as he punched Hans square in the chest, sending him flying into the statue. Eyrn watched as Hans was impaled on the massive sword the statue was holding, gasping and choking on his own blood. In a matter of seconds, Hans went limp and his gurgling stopped. Eryn turned around to face the rest of the guards, all of whom had the same expression of horror on their faces.

"_**It would be wise of you to surrender, now…" **_he suggested. One by one, the guards threw their weapons onto the ground without question as a few street guards came to arrest them. Linaeus walked up to Eryn with the Governor in a set of chains behind him.

"Jesus, Eryn," Linaeus said, looking at Hans's corpse, "Was that really necessary?"

Eryn looked back up to Hans, "Eh, maybe not. But it's one less thing we need to worry about."

"So that _is _the Arendolk. So the legends are true," The governor spat, "You're worse than a rat, boy. You're a… warlock."

"And you're a traitor to Arendelle," Linaeus retorted, "Once we get you back to Arendelle proper, the queen will decide your fate."

"You have no proof! When the queen finds out that you've attacked me, she'll-"

"I've seen enough, governor!" a mysterious voice shouted.

Haadrikson's face went pale as Eryn and Linaeus snapped their heads towards the direction of the voice. Elsa removed the bonnet from her head, allowing her platinum braid to cascade down her shoulder. Elsa looked up to Hans's lifeless body before returning her icy gaze to the three men.

"May I ask why the corpse of one of Arendelle's most infamous criminals is skewered on the sword of my grandfather?"

Eryn stepped forward, drawing a letter out of his pocket, "I believe this will tell you everything you need to know."

Elsa took the note from his hand and began scanning it. When she finished, she glared at the governor with fury.

"Sidgir Haadrikson, as Queen of Arendelle, I find you guilty of high treason, and sentence you to death by hanging."

"Not sure if the rope will hold him, to be honest," Eryn mumbled. Elsa glared at him before returning to face the now former governor. Haadrikson began shaking like an earthquake.

"Y-you can't do this!" he shouted, "I won't be killed by some- some _WITCH _and a pawn of Skyne!"

"One more word out of you and I'll freeze your tongue off! Captain Torvond, please escort him to the holding cells until we can arrange a date of execution."

"Yes ma'am!" Linaeus gripped Haadrikson's arm and dragged him back to the barracks.

"HE'S SENT HERE TO KILL YOU, DUMB WHORE!" Haadrikson roared, "YOU'RE GOING TO ALLOW SKYNE'S BITCH TO WALK FREE?!"

Eryn felt Elsa stare daggers into his back. Turning around, he could see that Elsa had a bit of an irritated look on her face.

_**That's three powerful and important people you've enraged today, Odrikson.**_

_Not now!_

"How did you get in possession of Arendolk?" She demanded, "I thought it was lost to the ages."

"Well, uh, th-that's a funny story…"

Before Eryn could finish, a throng of townsfolk came out into the square to investigate the commotion. A few shrieked in horror as they saw the former prince of the Southern Isles impaled on the statue, many others gawked at the sight of the queen in such common clothing, whispering amongst themselves.

"What's the queen doing here?"

"Arendolk? Like the legends and myths?"

"The Governor's a traitor? Who's gonna replace him?"

Elsa stepped forward, "Everyone, listen please. There's been a bit of a situation concerning the governor. Effective immediately, he will be removed from power. Until a replacement is found, a few detachments of soldiers will remain, but the majority will be demobilized."

Elsa's announcement produced a few murmurs from the crowd.

"And that also means less taxes will be imposed."

All at once the crowd erupted in joyous celebration. Eryn discreetly conjured up several shadowy tendrils to remove Hans from the sword.

"Alright, now will you explain yourself to me, Mr. Ormeister? Your real name is 'Eryn,' you possess an ancient artifact belonging to Arendelle, you have _magic_, are you even _from _Weselton?"

Eryn winced at her words. He knew the time had come to come clean to her. His heart ached at the notion, but he fought it back.

"Elsa," he said, taking her hands in his, "There's something you should know…"

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

"God fucking dammit!" Eryn rolled his eyes, "What now?!"

A soldier came riding along from the entrance of the town, with a horse in tow. He hopped off of his own horse and bolted to the two of them, panting heavily.

"Wait, I recognize you," Elsa said, "You're from the castle guard. Why are you up here?"

"There… was an explosion…" The guard panted heavily, "terrorist attack… at the castle… Princess Anna's in critical condition. Sir Bjorgman sent me for you."

Elsa's skin went pale as her eyes went wide. Eryn couldn't help but let his jaw go slack as well. Another attempt? By whom?

"Get me home, then," she said breathlessly running up to the horses.

"Elsa, wait!" Eryn yelled, "It could be a trick to get you back!"

"I can't risk Anna like that! If she _might _be in danger, I need to treat it like she _is!" _With that, Elsa snapped the reins of her horse and bolted out of Fjellby.

_**There goes our deal, Odrikson!**_

_I'll catch up to her, no worries._

Eryn disappeared into a shadowy blob and slinked away, out of the city.


	17. The Truth Revealed

_**You mean to tell me you were going to withdraw from the contract?!**_

_That isn't what's important now!_

_**Never have I seen you back out of a job like this, especially with the price at hand!**_

_Why the sudden interest? You've never cared this much about a target before._

_**Neither have you. And that is why you fail… **_

_This conversation is over._

_**For now, boy, for now…**_

Eryn soared overhead of Elsa in a shadowy blob, the mountains and ravines whizzing past like a blur. She had been barreling through the jagged mountains for the past few hours in a blind panic. Worry worked its way into Eryn's heart and mind as they edged closer to Arendelle. If Anna wasn't actually injured, he worried that this was a trap. If she _was _injured, he had no idea what it could mean. Who could've attacked the castle while he was away? Surely none of his contacts would be so stupid enough to stage an attack out of nowhere. Maybe Twiggy would, but he was smarter than that. That was the whole reason he hired him on.

_**Why are you so concerned about this princess? She isn't the intended target, so she-**_

_It's _because _she's not the intended target that I'm worried._

_**Hmph, compassion is cowardice, Odrikson. Three years of our partnership should've taught you that…**_

_Enough, we're approaching Arendelle. _

Eryn landed in the stables, just out of sight of anyone passing by. Elsa arrived soon after, leaping off her horse and rushing inside. The two guards saluted her as she whizzed past them, a trail of frost following her. Eryn ran up to the two guards and asked, "Is it true, is Princess Anna…"

"Unfortunately yes," one of the guards said, "Fortunately, the princess is expected to make a recovery."

"Any lead on who did this?"

"We have one of the perpetrators in custody, sir. We're combing the city for any more."

"Take me to him, then…"

XXXXXX

Elsa ran faster than she ever did before in her life. Every step she took felt like it was in slow motion. Her whole body trembled as she neared Anna's room. _Please be wrong, please be wrong, _Elsa silently prayed. As she rounded the corner to her sister's room, she saw Kristoff standing outside the door, his arms crossed and a scowl plastered on his face.

"Kristoff," Elsa shouted, running up towards him, "is she…?"

"She's… fine," Kristoff said, "The doctors just finished up with her."

Elsa approached the door as she grabbed the doorknob. Slowly twisting it open, the queen's face went pale. Anna was laying atop her bed, sound asleep and snoring lightly. Elsa reeled in horror as she noticed Anna's right leg, which was now reduced to a stump. Elsa's heart sank as she approached Anna's bedside, kneeling beside her sister.

"Anna…" Elsa choked up as she stroked Anna's cheek. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as guilt settled in the bottom of her heart. The room dropped in temperature as frost began to creep out from where she knelt. Kristoff approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It should've been me," She whimpered, "She's been hurt enough on my behal-"

"Don't beat yourself up over this," Kristoff reassured, "This was out of your control."

"I should've stayed. If I had been here, maybe they would've-"

"And what about Anna, then? If you got hurt, or _worse_, what would she do?"

A single tear rolled down Elsa's face as she gripped Anna's hand. She imagined herself in Anna's place as Anna wept over her. It pained Elsa to imagine that scenario.

"...Who did this?" She asked.

Kristoff pursed his lips as he stared at the floor. Elsa stood up, glaring at the ice harvester.

"Who. Did. This?" She punctuated each word with a drop in the room temperature. Kristoff stood up and took her hands in his.

"You might not like what I have to say…"

XXXXXX

Eryn followed the guards down into the dungeon. It was dank, cold, and rife with mold, just as he expected. The guards led him to a series of wooden doors, identical in size and shape. One of the guards began fumbling with a series of keys and proceeded to shove one into the door, the jangling piercing the quiet norm of the dungeons. Once it swung open, Eryn marched through the door, silently cursing. Sure enough, Twiggy stood in the middle, chained down and grinning maliciously.

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" Eryn asked the guards. They silently nodded and walked away, leaving the two of them alone. Eryn glared at Alius with solemn fury as he took a few more steps into the cell.

"What in the _fuck _did you do, Twiggy?" Eryn demanded.

"What you failed to do, Eryn," Alius chortled, "Unlike you, who liked to play make believe, I wanted results, as does our contractor."

"I told you to let me handle the contractor. _Your _job was to provide intel for this operation."

"And _your _job was to kill the queen! Now, we're a month into this operation and she's still alive!"

"I save you from the gallows and _this _is how you repay me?!"

"You should be thanking me for my intuition. Unlike these other assholes you brought on, I took the initiative."

"THINGS WERE GOING FINE UNTIL YOU DECIDED TO FUCK IT UP!"

"WERE THEY?! EITHER YOU WENT SOFT OR-"

"_**WATCH. YOUR. TONGUE!" **_Eryn could feel the numbness penetrate his muscles.

"It's just one woman! How hard could it be to kill a simple woman. Especially one as volatile and fragile as that bi-"

Eryn lunged forward as he plunged the dagger into Alius's windpipe. Rage boiled his blood as he dragged him to the ground and repeatedly stabbed the short man, plugging him full of bloody holes. Alius flailed his arms, struggling to get Eryn off of him. Eyrn planted the dagger one last time in Alius's working eye as he got up off of the floor, panting heavily. Alius was left a bloody mess on the floor, barely recognizable as a human being.

"Guess you weren't as smart as I thought, Twiggy," Eryn spat.

As Eryn turned to leave, his face went pale. Elsa stood before him, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Her hands were balled up in tight fists as she shook. In one of her fists, she held what he recognized as his schematics for the castle he placed under his bed.

"Y-you?!" She said, "This was all your idea?"

"Elsa, wait-" Eryn began. He was met with a sharp stinging on his face as she dragged her palm against it in a violent slap. He could feel tiny shards of ice dig into his skin.

"My sister nearly _died. _Because of you!" Venom filled her words as she spoke.

"Elsa, I wasn't expecting this to happen!"

"What _were _you expecting to happen?!"

Eryn tried to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat. What could he say that wouldn't already piss her off even more? Elsa glared at him, awaiting his answer.

"This is why I didn't want you to return. They-"

"So you could kill me? So that Anna would _die?!"_

__"Because I knew they'd be waiting for you when you came back!"

"What else did you do?! It was _you_ who poisoned my wine, wasn't it? And that time in the tailor shop, that wasn't an accident, was it?!"

Eryn's heart grew heavy as he started to choke up, "Please, Elsa, I-"

"I have had enough of your lies… " Elsa's words were filled with venom as a few guards rallied behind her, "Arrest this man."

The guards clamored into the room with weapons drawn. As they started swinging at him, Eryn faded into the floor and through the iron bars of the window.

XXXXXX

"Take it easy, feistypants," Kristoff said, "Elsa should be back soon."

"I'm not worried about her," Anna growled, "you should be worried about the bastard who did this when I get to him." She hoisted herself out of the bed, nearly toppling over before grabbing her dresser.

"Maybe you should wait until you get that replacement leg. The doctor's said it should be here in a couple of da-"

"A couple of days is too long. No one gets away with trying to kill _my _sister."

"You really need to start thinking about… yourself?"

Elsa appeared at the doorway, looking solemnly. She forced a smile on her face as she saw Anna.

"Elsa!" Anna hopped towards her sister, helped along by Kristoff before collapsing into Elsa's arms.

"You have no idea how much I missed you!"

"Thank God you're alright! I shouldn't have-"

"Oh, no you don't! You've beaten yourself up enough. Once Derrik gets back here, we can-"

"There is no Derrik."

Anna and Kristoff's eyes went wide, "Wait, what?"

Tears began to stream down Elsa's face, "He… he was the assassin trying to kill me. He lied to us every single time," She turned to Kristoff, "You were right. He _was _a snake. I shouldn't have trusted him…"

Kristoff extended his free hand and placed it on Elsa's shoulder, "Don't beat yourself up over this. You did what you thought was necessary for Arendelle. None of us could've predicted… this."

Elsa smiled warmly as a soldier came into the room, saluting the queen.

"Ma'am, we have confirmation of the true identity of Mr. Ormeister," he said, handing her a slip of paper. Elsa opened it up to see an old wanted poster with "Derrik's" face on it. Underneath the image, the poster announced:

_WANTED_

_For the Murder of Gen. Urlaf Garrigheim & desertion of the Arendellian military_

_Eryn Odrikson_

_Male_

_18 Years of Age_

_Last seen: Karnisvarne, Søderlund_

_Reward: 500 crowns_

Elsa read over the paper multiple times before looking back up to the guard, "Have there been any sightings of him?"

"Not yet, ma'am. The whole city's on lockdown. It won't be long until we catch him."

"Take caution. He has magic now, we don't know the extent of his power."

The guard simply saluted and ran off to spread the word.

Elsa turned to Anna and Kristoff, tears once again swelling in her eyes. Three times now, Anna nearly died because of her in some way, shape, or form. It was a miracle that Anna didn't resent her for it. Kristoff and Anna extended their arms out, inviting Elsa in. Elsa smiled weakly as she walked into their arms, humming contently as they embraced her.

XXXXXX

Eryn stopped for a rest next to a rather large boulder overlooking the fjord. Behind him was a vast forest that stretched for miles on end. He was a few miles out from the city, though he could still see the lights of Arendelle clearly. The sounds of panicked guards carried over the water as they attempted to look for him. Eryn slammed his fist into the rock, not caring about the stinging pain. What he did care about was that his lies finally caught up to him. Here was a woman that trusted him with her life and what does he do? He breaks all the trust she had in him and nearly kills her sister! He collapsed on the ground, dragging his fingers through his hair. For the first time in his life, he felt like a piece of shit. What was he going to do now? His mind was flooded with a thousand thoughts, screaming at him simultaneously. Unfortunately, one thought was much louder than all the others.

_**What are you doing?! Get back up and get back to the castle!**_

_What's the point? _Eryn shot up and began walking into the forest, hoping to put some distance between him and Arendelle.

_**The point?! The point is that you need to fulfill your end of the bargain! **_

_If we go back, we die._

**YOU **_**might die, but **_**I** _**will endure.**_

_The whole. Damn. Town. Is looking for me! If I go back, I'll-_

_**AND IF YOU DON'T, I SAID IT WOULD BE THE LAST THING YOU DID! Do you not remember that?!**_

_Why do you need Elsa's blood that badly?! You told me as long as the lifeforce of a human ran through you, you had enough to grant me powers. "Destroy the man, preserve the legend" and all that nonsense. What's so special about her blood?_

_**Magic is a fickle thing. I wouldn't expect some fool like you to understand.**_

_Well, it looks like we'll need to look somewhere else for magic blood, then. I can't-_

_**Y̵̩̳͚̬͉O̸̷̦̤̗̖U̟̜̭̬̮̺͍͝ ̸̮̭̕Ẃ̴̧̪͈̮̖ͅͅI̞̟̤L̴̵̯̖L̩̺̬!̱̜̲̟͙̰̀ **_

Skyne's voice stung at Eryn's brain like a hive of angry wasps. Eryn collapsed to the floor, clutching his head.

_We've caused enough damage! Anything else-_

_**THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! Your compassion is what makes you weak! Tell me boy, did compassion save your father from the avalanche? Did compassion cure your mother of Yellow Fever? Did compassion return Malia's virtue after Urlaf stole it by force?! OF COURSE NOT! **_

_Leave them out of thi-_

_**A thousand years I have waited for this day!**_ Eryn began to slip in and out of consciousness, _**And I will NOT let some poor nobody deprive me of my freedom!**_

_I-I won't let y-you!_

_**Ý̠̮̺͙̜̼O̷̙Ų̯̻̭ ̴̢̜̗N̠̬̮̗̟̳ͅÓ̖̙̭̦͡ ̧̺̫̟͎̠̻̜͎L̵̳̻͔̪͟͢ͅO̤̜͜͜N̸̞͓͜͡G̗̩͉̳͔͙͜E͏̦̯̮͚́ͅR̗̙̫̱͙̺̜̦̰͡͞ ͇̘͜͡H̵̰͔͓̟̦̗͢Á̞̫̠͘ͅV̸̬̯̥̻̯͟E̶͚̫̥̝̖͘͠ ̸̥͖̯͓͕͇͔̜́͡À̶͈͍̠̬̮ ̴̭̻̱̫͈͎̀͠S̯̫͎̮͟A͢҉̵̥͇̙̫Y̴̵̯̻̰͉͓̦,̸̸͙̝̦̫̻̪͟ ̨̮̝̩͔͚̻̮͠B̷̷̩̜̘̩̻O̢̪͇̘̠͚Y̛̪͡!͖͚̱͍̳̗͢**_

Eryn felt the numbness envelop him as he finally faded out of consciousness.

XXXXXX

"Has there been any luck?"

"No, Ma'am. We've got every guard on high alert. It should be a matter of time before we catch him."

Elsa sighed, "Thank you, please continue your search."

The guard saluted her and resumed his patrol. The nighttime air blew into Elsa's face as she turned back to the castle. _Only a matter of time… _she thought to herself. How could she have been so blind, trusting a man she just met? What else was she wrong about? A trail of ice followed her as she thought these thoughts. She looked back on every decision she made up to this point. How many of those were the wrong choice, much like trusting Eryn? She shook the idea from her mind. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. What mattered now was that Eryn was caught and brought to justice.

As she entered the castle, she was stopped by Kristoff.

"Elsa, we need to talk," Kristoff said.

"You are most certainly right," Elsa replied, "I need you to stay here and look after Anna, I'm going out to join the search."

"You're what?! Elsa-"

"I need to make up for allowing myself to be duped by this… assassin. I'd rather be out there than cowering in he-"

"But he has magic! What if he-"

Elsa held her hand up as blue light emitted from her palm, "Don't forget, I do too."

"I-it's not that! He has Arendolk!"

"I know that!"

"But he's using Skyne's magic!"

"What's the big deal, Kristoff? The legends say Skyne is trapped in the blade for eternity."

"The legend was censored! If Skyne gets magic blood, he's free! Grandpabbie told me everything about it!"

Elsa's eyes went wide as she dissipated her magic. Who would omit such important information about such an evil being? Why was it removed? Before she was able to get any answers, a rather strange noise came from behind her. Snapping her head around, she saw a massive black blob amassing in the center of the courtyard. It slowly disappeared, scattering into the far corners of the castle. In its place stood Eryn, his eyes glowing crimson and his face gaunt and withering.

"_**You…" **_he hissed, pointing Arendolk at Elsa, "_**You are coming with me." **_His voice sounded warped, as if there were two people talking. Kristoff lunged at Eryn, who effortlessly picked him up with one hand and tossed him to the side. Eryn raised his hand as inky black tendrils slithered out from his palm, wrapping themselves around Elsa. A few guards came rushing out to stop him with swords drawn. Eryn summoned shadowy tendrils from his back to meet them. One by one, the guards fell, impaled by the inky nothingness as Eryn laughed hysterically. Elsa tried to cry out, but was silenced as darkness filled her mouth.

Then, everything went black.

XXXXXX

"Sir Bjorgman! Kristoff! Can you hear me?!"

Kristoff's vision slowly came back to him as he stirred. He'd hit the stables rather hard, causing him to black out for a second. When he woke, he was surprised to find Captain Torvond hovering over him with worry on his face. Just behind him, Eryn saw a large black horse standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by bodies of guards.

"L-Linaeus? What's going on?"

"I came back as soon as I heard about the explosion. Where's Elsa?"

Kristoff rubbed his forehead, trying to remember what had happened. The stinging pain was making it hard to concentrate. Piece by piece he remembered what had happened. He let out a sharp gasp.

"Eryn! Sh-she found out who he was and chased him out. But then he came back, with these red eyes. He took her… somewhere!"

Linaeus's eyes went wide as he noticed something in the distance. A large blob of… something strange was heading north. He was certain that was Eryn and Elsa. His look of worry faded into one of seriousness.

"Go to Anna, I'll handle this," Linaeus began walking back to the black horse.

"What? You wouldn't last a second against-"

"It's not Eryn that's doing this. I know it's not."

"All the more reason that it's too dangerous for y-"

"I made an oath to protect the queen, no matter the cost. If that means facing Skyne himself, so be it," with that, Linaeus snapped the reins and, with the shout of "Magni, _bevege seg_!" The horse darted out of the courtyard and towards the north.

"Eryn," Linaeus whispered to himself, "What've you gotten yourself into this time?"

XXXXXX

Skyne flew as far as he could, dragging the queen behind him. At long last, his freedom was so tantalizingly close. He could feel his connection to Odrikson wavering, but it didn't matter. Once he was free, he'd never have to worry about such trivial issues any longer.

As his magic weakened, Skyne was forced to make an abrupt landing. He landed on a rather large mountain, covered in snow and ice. Just ahead of him laid a massive palace of what appeared to be ice. He marveled at it for a second before dispersing the shadows enveloping the queen.

"_**Impressive…" **_he said as she stood up, "_**I am to assume you made this?"**_

"Why did you come back?" The queen demanded, "Did you feel like you didn't twist the knife enough?"

Skyne simply laughed, "_**I'm afraid Odrikson isn't in at the moment. I will be happy to take a message… once I have what I came here for." **_Skyne lifted the knife in his hand as he walked over to the queen. Sweet freedom was finally here. With no hesitation he-

"Stop right there!"

Skyne snapped Odrikson's head to see who interrupted him. The commander from the mountain village ran up to them, sword in hand.

"Linaeus?" The queen blurted out, "What're you-"

"It's my duty ma'am," he said, turning to face Skyne, "So, I take it you're not Eryn?"

"_**I'm afraid Odrikson is paying the price for his disobedience."**_

"Why did he make a deal with you? What did he have to gain?"

"_**The poor bastard wanted recognition, so that he didn't die a nobody, like his worthless father. Now, if you'll excuse me-"**_

"Don't take one more step, demon!" The captain raised his sword, "Let my friend go or else!"

"_**Do you really think you can take on the Son of the Blood Moon?"**_

"No, but Eryn can. Eryn, if you can hear me, you need to fight this!"

"Linaeus, what are you-?" Elsa said

"Just trust me, Elsa," Linaeus cut her off, "I know my friend."

Skyne chortled at the captain's words. Surely he knew this wouldn't w-

That's when he felt it. The pang of resistance deep in Odrikson's heart. He really was fighting back?! How?! Skyne watched as the blade quivered in his hand.

"_**WHAT?!"**_

"C'mon Eryn, I know you're in there! You're above this monster! Don't let him win!"

Skyne felt Odrikson's mind returning, shouting with a furious force.

_GET! OUT!_

Skyne let out a furious cry as he was forced to retreat back to the knife. Eryn turned around and hurled the blade into the night sky.

"I knew you had it in you," Linaeus placed a hand on Eryn's shoulder.

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone," Eryn panted, "Felt like I was trapped in a box."

"All of this, just so you wouldn't be forgotten? What were you thinking?!"

"Not like I could've stayed in the military after-"

"Um, gentlemen?" Elsa interjected, pointing up to the sky.

Eryn, Elsa and Linaeus looked on in shock and confusion as the blade suspended itself in thin air.

_**Foolish mistake, WORM!**_

Skyne flipped the blade around and lunged towards the group. Eryn swiftly dodged out of the way and into a snowbank when he heard a small whimper. When he unburied himself, his heartbeat stopped. Elsa clutched her arm as small streams of crimson fell over fingers with the dagger on the ground next to her. Eryn watched in horror as her blood filled the runes, turning them a bright purple. Darkness swirled around the blade as it broke in half with an ear shattering crack. Dark energy dripped out of the pieces and formed a large pool of blackness as large as an elephant. Out of the nothingness, a large black claw emerged, followed by another. Slowly, a massive figure, with the head of a serpent with two sharp and jagged cervine antlers, the body of a man, and the legs of a wolf, emerged, cackling maniacally. Its entire body was as black as a bottomless pit, blotting out the aurora behind it.

"_**You impress me, Odrikson," **_ it said as it stretched its arms and legs out, "_**Even with your insubordination, you managed to do what others have failed to do…"**_

After a thousand years of confinement and isolation, Skyne, Son of the Blood Moon and Lord of the Shadows, was free at last.

**A/N: If you comment on this chapter, please try to keep them spoiler free, just like chapter 15. Also, just a heads up, Beware the Frozen Heart only has about two chapters left in it. I'd like to thank everyone for their comments and interest in this project of mine.**

**Until next time :)**


	18. The Son of the Blood Moon

"I-I can't believe it," Eryn stuttered, "I thought the legends said he couldn't get out."

"_**Hmm? So that's what Aren told everyone when he stuffed me in that blade?" **_Skyne let out a small laugh, "_**It is as they say, history is written by the victors."**_ The shade looked up to the full moon in disgust, "_**Isn't that right, father? No matter, once I'm through with this, you and the rest of the Aesir are next…" **_

Linaeus gripped his sword tightly, "Whatever it is you're planning, I won't let you!" he shouted as he lunged at Skyne. The shadow being casually swatted him away as if he were a fly. Linaeus flew back into a massive heap of snow, dangerously close to the cliff's edge.

"_**These are the descendants of Aren the Red? A bunch of headstrong immature runts? Hmph, I wouldn't expect anything else…" **_Skyne walked over to Eryn and placed one of his shadowy claws on his shoulder. The shade smelled of death and burning flesh. Eryn fought the urge to vomit as Skyne spoke, "_**You should be proud, Odrikson. Some of the brightest minds and strongest warriors failed to release me over the course of a thousand years, yet you were able to do it in only three…"**_

Eryn struggled against Skyne's grip, which only encouraged the beast to tighten his hold, nearly crushing Eryn's shoulder.

"_**Needless to say, Odrikson, I am a being of my word,"**_ Skyne released his grip on Eryn's shoulder as he stepped back, "_**I will make your name known… as the man who plunged the world into darkness!"**_

Skyne held his claws out as tendrils emerged from his forearms as they converged into his open palms like writhing worms. As darkness swirled around him, the tendrils gave way to a massive black two handed battleaxe, with an ebony handle and ancient runes decorating the blade. Skyne lifted the weapon over his head and brought it down to the ground with all his might, cracking the earth beneath it. The crack began emitting a stream of inky nothingness as small shadowy beings began climbing out of the newly formed crevice. The aurora disappeared from the night sky, followed by the stars, until the moon was the last light in the night sky. Eryn, Elsa, and Linaeus looked on in horror as the moon turned from its usual soft white to a blood red hue.

"_**Go to Aren's Dell, kill all in your path!"**_ Skyne roared as he held his battleaxe aloft. Eryn silently panicked, looking around for a solution. He noticed Linaeus's sword on the ground just a few inches from him and instantly knew what had to be done. With no hesitation, Eryn grabbed the sword and leaped at the shade. Skyne stepped to the side, causing Eryn to swing at the air.

"_**Come now, Odrikson, did you really think that would work?"**_

"Eryn! What're you doing?!" Linaeus shouted.

"Get Elsa out of here! I'll hold him off!"

"You'll die!"

"This is my mistake! One I intend to fix!"

"But-"

"Arendelle needs you now more than ever, Lenny! Go, NOW!"

Linaeus hesitated before grabbing Elsa's arm, "Your Majesty, we need to go!"

Elsa looked at Eryn one last time and said, "Agreed."

Linaeus helped Elsa up onto Magni's back before hoisting himself on the saddle. With the snap of the reins, Magni bolted out of sight, leaving Eryn and Skyne alone on the mountain.

XXXXXX

"Somethings not right," Anna said, looking out the window, "The aurora, the stars, _everything, _is just… gone."

"Oooooh!" Olaf exclaimed, "The moon is such a pretty color too!"

As the two of them were looking out the window, Kristoff bolted into the room, panting heavily.

"Kristoff! What's going on?" Anna leaned on Olaf as she wobbled over to her fiance.

"Skyne's what's going on! That assassin was using him and now he's free!" Kristoff gasped. Anna's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

"Y-you mean, from the legends and stuff. The one who almost brought about the end of the world. _That _Skyne?"

"Yes!"

"Where's Elsa?"

Kristoff hesitated for an answer as he looked to the floor.

"Kristoff, where is she?"

"...She's-"

"ANNA!"

Kristoff turned around to see Elsa standing in the doorway, "Right there!" he exclaimed as she ran in and embraced Anna.

"Elsa, what happened to your arm?!" Anna asked, pointing to the gash on Elsa's forearm.

"The legends weren't complete. Skyne used me to get out of the knife! The assassin's stalling him now."

"What?!"

"None of that matters now! We need to get everyone out of here now! Skyne-"

"Well hi there, little guy," Olaf cooed, "What's your name?"

Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff looked over to the snowman. Next to Olaf, a small black shadow goblin with beady red eyes and razor sharp teeth stood, muttering something incoherent. In an instant, the creature leaped at Elsa, screeching maniacally. Olaf let out a terrified scream as he ran behind Anna. Elsa shot icy magic from her fingertips at the creature. The shadow monster flew back as it let out a blood curdling screech. As it slammed into the wall, it dissipated into dark wisps as its screams faded away.

"What the hell was that?" Kristoff gasped.

"One of Skyne's creations," Elsa panted, "We need to get everyone out of Arendelle, there's more coming!"

Anna and Kristoff nodded as Anna leaned against her fiance and ran out of the room. The hallways were eerily quiet, as most of the castle staff was gone for the evening. In an instant, three more of the shadow demons appeared from inky black pools on the floor. Two guards ran up behind them and slashed at them with their swords, killing two of the beasts. The third leaped up to one of them and sunk its teeth into his jugular. The other guard struggled to pry the being off his comrade as Elsa blasted it with her magic. The man who was attacked fell to the floor motionless as blood trickled onto the floor. Elsa's eyes went wide at the sight before her. That man had a family, a happy and long life ahead of him, and now it was gone. Something inside her boiled as she snapped her head to the other guard.

"What's the situation out there?" She asked.

"Those… _things_ started appearing in masses! Captain Torvond is organizing a defense now, but we don't have enough men to properly defend the town."

Elsa pursed her lips at this information, "I'll take care of the monsters, you make sure Anna and everyone else get out safely."

"What?!" Anna exclaimed, "You can't-"

"My powers might be able to stall them long enough for you to get out."

"I'm staying with you!"

"Anna, you're in no shape to fight!"

"But-"

"She's right, Anna," Kristoff interrupted. Anna looked at him in shock.

"What?" the two sisters said simultaneously. Rarely did Kristoff ever take Elsa's side in arguments.

"Elsa's magic is the best thing we have to fight these things. Grandpabbie said only magic can destroy magic."

Elsa pursed her lips at the thought. It would mean discarding her principles to never use her magic as a weapon. But in this situation, like any other, the people of Arendelle come first.

"Get to Linaeus, organize an evacuation of the city. I'll see what I can do."

Anna and Kristoff nodded as they proceeded down the hallway.

"Bye guys!" Olaf said as he waved at them. Elsa crouched down to meet Olaf at eye level.

"Olaf, I need you to go with them," she said sternly.

"Wait, what?"

"This is something I need to do on my own," Elsa's eyes lit up as she came up with an idea, "But I know how you _could _help."

"Oh! I love helping!" Olaf bounced around like a small child. Elsa swirled her hands around as she summoned her magic. With severe concentration, she forged the magic into a crystalline blue sword, with the crocus of Arendelle adorning the blade and hilt.

"Give this to Anna," She said, presenting the sword to Olaf, "It'll be her best form of defense while I'm not here."

Olaf eagerly grabbed the sword. "Yes ma'am!" he gave her a salute as he ran down the hall to catch up to Anna and Kristoff.

"Don't run with that!" Elsa yelled after him. Behind her, she could hear the incoherent growls and mutterings of shadow beings. As she turned to face them, two of them leaped at her with primal fury. Elsa raised her hands and summoned forth her magic. Icy bolts erupted out of her hands, hitting them as they dissolved into nothingness. She ran past where they stood in a desperate attempt to get to the stables. She needed to get back up to the North Mountain and face Skyne herself. Her thoughts went back to Eryn. A part of her felt bad for him, having to face such evil by himself. The other part of her knew that, at the end of the day, he was still a criminal and a traitor to Arendelle. She shook that idea out of her mind. Such things didn't matter if there wasn't an Arendelle for him to stand trial against.

She needed to face Skyne first, then worry about Eryn later.

XXXXXX

"_**You really want to fight me?!" **_Skyne roared, "_**Do you honestly think you have any sort of chance against me?"**_

Eryn pointed the sword in his hand at Skyne. His eyes narrowed at the shadow being as he gripped the handle firmly. Three years he put up with this monster. Now, it was his time to end it. "If it means you won't hurt anyone else, then it's a risk worth taking."

"_**There is that compassion of yours again! Do you not see how blind it makes you? Lay your weapon down, submit to me once more, and I-"**_

"I am _done _letting you use me!"

Skyne gripped his battleaxe firmly. "_**S̟̘̥̣̱ͅO̠̞̪̪͢ͅ ͎͔̗͚͈B̸̟̫̞͈̲E ̭̰̣̕I̥̣̠͙T̬̭̳̯̯!̡̤̳͔"**_

The shadow being swung the war axe over his head and brought it down with all his might. Eryn narrowly dodged out of the way as he darted towards Skyne's legs. He clashed his sword against Skyne's leg, receiving a howl of pain from the monster. Skyne returned the action by kicking Eryn away from him. Eryn flew back until his body met a rather large rock. Pain coarsed throughout his body upon the impact. Skyne flew forward with his axe at the ready, his crimson red eyes filled with rage. Eryn raised his sword and barely deflected the onslaught.

"_**You ingrate!" **_Skyne spat as they clashed blades, "_**I gave you what you wanted, to be known throughout the lands, and you repay me with treachery? What do you gain from defeating me?!"**_

"It isn't about what I get, it's about what you lose!"

"_**WITHOUT ME, YOU ARE NOTHING! You were born a nothing, and now you will die a nothing!"**_

"I'd rather die a nobody than live as some eldritch's pawn!"

"_**And what happens if you beat me? What awaits you then? The gallows? The guillotine? No matter what, Odrikson, your hands are forever stained in blood! And you will face the consequences!"**_

"Which is why I'm here!"

Skyne and Eryn shot their gazes behind them. Elsa stood there with a menacing glare, her arms crossed across her chest. Skyne grinned as he began to chortle. "_**Ah, the sorceress. I should thank you for releasing me."**_

"Well, it wasn't exactly on purpose."

_****_"Elsa, what are you doing here?" Eryn shouted, "I thought-"

Elsa raised her hand to silence Eryn, "As the queen of Arendelle, I demand that you release that man."

"_**Demand?" **_Skyne howled in laughter, "_**You? Demanding that I release this… worthless street rat? Do you have any idea what I am capable of?"**_

"Do you have any idea what _I'm _capable of?" Elsa replied as icy as the palace before her.

"_**I have observed your magic, sorceress. I know you won't use it to harm another being."**_

"With you I'll make an exception. Now, release him."

"_**Very well,**_" Skyne grabbed Eryn by the shirt and threw him towards Elsa, "_**Here is your traitor!" **_As Eryn staggered to his feet, Skyne emitted a shadowy tendril from his torso. In an instant, the inky black tentacle rammed itself through Eryn's chest, causing his eyes to widen in pain. Eryn had only a second to look down at the impalement before it retreated back to its owner. Elsa gasped as Eryn collapsed onto the snowy mountainside, motionless. Elsa mustered up all of her strength to not scream at the sight. Instead, she returned her glare to the shadow being as anger boiled inside of her.

"You will regret that!" Elsa raised her hands as she summoned forth magic in her palms.

"_**You have no experience in combat, child. What hope do you have of beating me?"**_

Elsa shot a surge of magic directly at Skyne's face. The shadow monster raised his axe to deflect the bolt, only to be taken aback when the axe head became encased in ice. Skyne studied the ice for a second, almost entranced by what he had witnessed. As he touched it, he recoiled in what appeared to be pain.

"_**It can't be… another child of Athohallan?"**_

"Athohallan?" Elsa asked. She had only heard that name once before, from a lullaby her mother used to sing to her. "What do you mean?"

Skyne narrowed his eyes at the queen, "_**No matter! I was looking forward to an actual challenge!"**_ The shadow being threw his weapon aside and lunged at the queen. Elsa quickly conjured up a wall of ice around herself. Skyne collided head first with the wall, shattering his antlers into small black fragments as he roared in pain. Elsa dissolved the wall and summoned a massive snowball above the monstrous being. Skyne had only a few seconds to look up before he was buried in a massive snowheap. Elsa made a mad dash for the ice palace before a black tentacle slithered out of the snow mound and wrapped itself around Elsa's leg. The shadow monster erupted from the mound as he drew Elsa in, bringing her to eye level.

"_**No wonder Odrikson fancied you," **_he snarled, "_**He would have been just as dumb!"**_

Elsa raised her hands and summoned forth her magic once more. Suddenly a loud roar erupted from the ice palace.

"**WE ARE SLEEPING!"**

The doors flung open, revealing Marshmallow, still wearing Elsa's old tiara, and several snowgies, all of which looked furious. Marshmallow narrowed his gaze onto an entangled Elsa.

"_**A frost giant?! I thought they were all killed!"**_

"**Elsa!?" **He groaned, "**ELSA!" **Marshmallow bolted towards Skyne as icy spikes grew out of his body, tackling him to the ground. The tendril dissipated as Elsa fell to the ground. Marshmallow socked Skyne in the jaw, sending him reeling back down the mountain. Skyne regained his footing and slashed at Marshmallow with fury. The frost giant howled as inky blackness dripped from where the claws made contact. In an instant, Marshmallow grabbed Skyne's claw and hoisted him over his head, slamming him into the snow with an icy ran towards where Skyne was, readying her magic as Marshmallow leaped onto the shadow being. Marshmallow wasted no time delivering blow after blow into Skyne's face.

"_**E̗̖̪ͤ̈́̿N̖̗̙̞͚̏̈́̽̑ͫO̺̪̪U̠̗GH͕͎̹̥̟!̯͇̂͑"**_

Multiple black tendrils erupted from the crater Skyne made, launching Marshmallow off of him and next to Elsa. Skyne emerged from the crater with one of his eyes swollen and black liquid dripping from his mouth.

"_**CHILD OF ATHOHALLAN OR NOT, Ỷ̰͙̭̠̯͖̭̃̑͐ͪ̅ͬO̤̦͖̫̙ͪ͑̎̚̚Ü͇͎͍͉̤̣͂ͮ͋͛̿ ̺̳̺̯̥͗̌̔ͮͯW̌́I͕̫LL̗̬̟̰͉̃̀̈͒̆ ͍̝̥͚̟͍̞̔̈̊̎̐͐̎Ṕ̺A̖̦͍͎̗͗͛̈̓ͥ͆ͅY!̙̘͙̹̺̼̇ͣ͛̽ͬ̍" **_Hundreds of tendrils made their way towards Elsa

"No," Elsa said as she summoned forth her magic, "_You _will pay!" With all her strength, Elsa launched a wave of icy blue magic at Skyne, cutting through the tendrils like they were nothing. Elsa fell to one knee as she felt the magic sap her strength. Skyne reeled back, bracing himself as the wave hit him in the chest. The monster slowly let his guard down as he checked for where the magic had struck him.

"_**HA! Your magic did nothing to… WHAT?!"**_

Skyne brought his hand to his face. What was once a dark black claw was now encased in crystal blue ice. Elsa watched as Skyne's body slowly changed to a stark white, just as Anna did when the same thing happened to her.

"_**No… NO̜͚͔̱͓ͧ͆̊͂̄̍ͅ!ͥͩ̏" **_Skyne pounced towards Elsa with as much fury as he could muster. As the seconds passed, Skyne slowed down to a crawl as he shouted in an indecipherable language.

"_**Y͕̭̯̟̠͔̺ͥͭ͊̽ͭ͑̚O̙͉̼̹͕͎ͧ͂̾̒͛ͦU ̣͕̩̟͗ͤ͒̍W̘̤Ï̮̭̼͉̫̉̽ͬͫLL̖͙͓̞̘͓ ̼̃N̬̩̳̙͔̹ͥͩͬ́͛͑EV̤̜̣̏̉̚E̟͉͑̆R̘̬͂̆ ̺͂BEͭͤͤͧͤ Ṟ̫̣̯͈̺ID̒̏͊̌ͮ̄̃ ͧͫ̽͛ͩO̯̝̥͖̮̒ͥ̈́ͭͯF̮͕͖͕̏͋́ͨ ME̪!"**_was the last thing he said before his head became replaced by ice. Elsa watched as the last breath of Skyne left his accursed mouth. She walked up to him and, with a snap of her fingers, crumbled the ice figure before her. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief as she collapsed to the ground. She never used her powers so much before, or in such a way. A part of her felt terrified that she was capable of doing such things. But for now, she was just glad it was over.

She crawled over to where Eryn laid in the snow. Elsa flipped him over so his face was out of the cold. She was taken aback when she saw that Skyne hadn't pierced his chest. She couldn't see any kind of wound or anything. Bringing her ear to where his heart was, she was also surprised to find that it was still beating. What happened?

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

Elsa shot up as she snapped her head around to face who was shouting. Linaeus rushed over to her, his sword at the ready.

"Elsa, are you alright?" He asked exasperatedly, "we heard some kind of roar across the mountains and assumed the worst."

"I'm fine," Elsa panted, "can't say much about Skyne, though." She gestured to the pile of ice just beside her. Linaeus's eyes went wide.

"H-he's dead?"

"Yes. You missed quite a show, Linaeus."

Linaeus couldn't help but crack a smile before turning his gaze to Eryn. His smile soon turned into a look of worry. "Is he-?"

"He's still alive. We need to get him back to Arendelle, and fast."

"Yes ma'am!" Linaeus scooped Eryn into his arms as he took Elsa onto his shoulder, slowly making his way back to his horse.

XXXXXX

"One on your left!" Kristoff exclaimed. Anna swung the ice sword Elsa gave her down at the imp beside her leg, cleaving it in two. Her, Kristoff, and Olaf were in the middle of getting the people of Arendelle to the cliffs when they were jumped by the shadow goblins. Anna, despite her current handicap, was holding her own as she leaned onto her fiance, swiping at them whenever she could.

"Thanks, honey," Anna said, "Any more?"

Olaf looked around, lifting his head off his body. "Nope!" the snowman shouted, "they're all gone!"

"Woah!" one of the townspeople gasped "Look! The sky!"

Everyone looked up to see what they were talking about. The moon returned to its regular color as the stars returned to the sky one by one. The aurora returned as well, blanketing the night sky in vivid colors. The townspeople began cheering as the lights returned to the night sky.

"Elsa did it!" Olaf declared, "She woke up the sky!"

"In a way I did, I guess."

Anna and Kristoff snapped their heads to the north. Elsa and Linaeus rode in, both looking exhausted from the events of the night. Elsa slid off of the back of Linaeus's horse and ran towards Anna. The queen tackled her sister into a gentle embrace, careful not to topple her over.

"I'm glad you're alright!" Anna murmured into Elsa's neck.

"You too," Elsa replied, "You wouldn't believe what happened."

"What about Der- I mean, Eryn?"

Linaeus dismounted as he hoisted Eryn over his shoulder. "He's breathing, that's the good news," the captain explained, "but he'll need some medical attention."

"We'll get him some when we get back to the castle," Elsa said, "for now, we need to sort this mess Skyne made out."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, and captain? You _will_ be explaining to me how you knew who he was and didn't bother to tell me."

Linaeus's face went bright red as his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

"Y-yes ma'am…"

**A/N: The chapter after this one is going to be the last one of Beware the Frozen Heart. I'd like to thank everyone who liked and/or commented on this fic! **


	19. The Finale

Eryn's eyes slowly fluttered open as he stirred from his state of unconsciousness. He lifted his head, racking his brain to remember what happened last night. All he could remember was Elsa and Skyne and…

_ELSA!_

Eryn shot up before gingerly laying back down. His chest ached like it was on fire. The bullet he took felt like a tender massage compared to this. As his eyes adjusted from his slumber, he soon realized he wasn't back in the infirmary. Eryn slowly sat up and let out a sigh. He was in a small room of stone, with a wooden door to his left and the only light coming from a barred window at the very end. Eryn slumped his shoulders as he laid back down. He knew exactly where he was: the dungeons. How long had he been knocked out? Judging by the sunlight beaming from the window, a few hours at most. Eryn fell back onto the stone surface he laid upon. He knew that his time was limited here. There was only once place left for someone like him after the dungeons. Eryn wondered what was in store for him. Would he swing from the gallows? Beheaded? At this point Eryn didn't care. He simply accepted his fate, whatever that would be. Skyne was right: he was born a nobody and now, he'll die one too.

As Eryn thought about the end, all of his thoughts came back to his father. For the past three years, Eryn dragged his father's name through the mud and for what? The _promise _of fame and notoriety? Guess it was all for nothing, then.

Suddenly, he heard a loud jangling noise coming from the door. Eryn carefully sat up to see who was coming to visit. Elsa stepped through the door, her hands folded in front of her, bearing a look of seriousness upon her face.

"Leave us," she said to what he assumed to be a guard just out of his periphery. The door slammed behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

"El- I mean, your majesty," Eryn said, "This is, uh, unexpected."

Elsa took a seat on the stone slab opposite of him. Her face turned into an icy glare. Eryn could feel his spine shiver as her eyes pierced his soul.

"Well," Elsa said with as much venom as she could muster, "You certainly have a lot to explain, Mr. Odrikson…"

Eryn cringed as she said his actual name. "Y-yes, your majesty."

"You lied to me, made several attempts on my life, endangered _my _family, conspired with an enemy of Arendelle, _twice, _and murdered the highest ranking general in Arendellian history!"

Each deed Elsa listed off felt like a stab in the chest by an icy knife.

"You best have an explanation for your actions, Mr. Odrikson, because what you say will determine your fate."

Eryn thought long and hard as to what he would say. He felt like nothing he could say would save him from death, so the only option was to be as honest as possible.

"Your right, I did lie. I'm not the son of a noble or anything like that. I'm not even from Weselton. I'm just a nobody from the town of Karnisvarne. My father was a soldier in the Arendellian army when he died in an avalanche, with my mother following soon after. They died without anyone caring about their passing, save for me. I wanted to avoid that fate no matter what."

"And that meant becoming a killer?"

"At first, that meant becoming a soldier. I enlisted at 18, a few months after Linaeus. I had hoped that military life would get me the notoriety I was after. That was, until I saw General Garrigheim… defile a young woman. After I killed him, I wanted nothing to do with Arendelle."

"And is that where you encountered Arendolk?"

"Yes, the general had it. Skyne promised me that he would make me famous if I helped him. He didn't say how, just that he needed to find something. I did that for three years before I was contacted to return to Arendelle."

"By who?"

"According to that letter I gave you, the Duke of Weselton. I had no idea he was the one who hired me, nor did I know about the Westergaard or the governor."

"You tried to get me alone in Fjellby so you could kill me. You had multiple chances to do so, so why didn't you?"

"At first, I thought you royals were all the same, lethargic snobs who didn't care about who they stepped on. But now, after getting to know you, I can see that I was wrong."

Elsa pursed her lips as she processed this information. Eryn could feel his heart race in his chest. It felt like it was ready to burst out of his chest.

"Alight," Elsa said after what felt like an eternity, "I can believe you were ignorant of the conspiracy at large, and your ignorance of Skyne's true plans, but accusing General Garrigheim of rape? That's a serious charge to make against a hero of Arendelle."

Just then, a knock came upon the large wooden door. Elsa started to say something, but the door swung open, revealing Linaeus holding a strange book.

"Forgive the interruption, your majesty," he began, "but-"

"Linaeus, can't this wait?"

"I'm afraid not, Elsa. I… made a trip down to the military archives to verify Eryn's claims about General Garrigheim and… he was right."

Eryn and Elsa looked at him with surprise. "Excuse me?" they both said in unison. Linaeus said nothing as he handed Elsa a small black leather book.

"This was the general's personal diary… you might want to look at some of these entries."

Elsa flipped open the book and began reading. Her jaw dropped as she flipped through the pages. She slammed the book shut, her face paler than normal, before handing it back to Linaeus. Eryn could only imagine what was written in that journal, causing his stomach to churn.

"I've seen enough!" she spat, "Thank you, captain. I'll deal with this later."

"Yes, ma'am," Linaeus bowed and left the two of them alone once again. Elsa returned her attention to Eryn, her scowl returning to her face.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Odrikson," she said, "It seems that you were indeed correct about the General." Eryn could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest. It almost felt like it would break his ribs with how fast it was beating. "I believe this, along with your sacrifice and willingness to face Skyne alone, should acquit you of all crimes."

"I underst- _wait, what?!" _Eryn gawked, expecting her to sentence him to death. Elsa's scowl turned into a warm smile.

"Anna and Linaeus put in some good words for you. That may have also swayed me a bit."

Eryn was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand how he got this lucky in his entire life. His face lit up as a grin overtook his face.

"Th-thank you, Elsa!" he exclaimed, his heartbeat easing up.

"However, there is one thing you still need to do..."

Eryn's face went pale as she spoke again.

"What would that be?"

"You need to regain my trust, Mr. Odrikson. I didn't exactly forget that you lied to me for an entire month."

Eryn felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach as he went pale.

"How can I do that, Your Majesty?"

"I want you to hunt down all of your former allies who had a hand in this assassination attempt. Do this, and you'll have regained my faith in you."

Eryn thought about Elsa's words for a moment. "Alright, it shall be done." He sat up again, but the pain in his chest forced him back down once more.

"The doctors say you can't move on your own for a while. I'll have some guards down here to escort you to your room." Elsa stood up and walked over to the door. She knocked on the door as it flew open. As she stepped through to the other side, Elsa turned back to Eryn and said, "Arendelle thanks you… Eryn." With that, the door closed behind her, leaving Eryn all alone.

A thousand thoughts surged through Eryn's mind at that point. Even after all of this, she was still showing him mercy. He couldn't remember the last time that happened. Eryn placed his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

_I guess you are looking out for me up there, dad. _Eryn thought.

_A few months later… _

Rolond pulled out the bar of heated iron from the furnace. Carefully, he walked it over to the anvil and placed it on the flat surface. Once it was secure, the small man wasted no time hammering the orange molten metal into shape. Rolond was slightly baffled at how three farmers broke all of their plows at the same time, but he wasn't about to turn down some extra coin. Jobs like this made the day go by that much faster. As he hammered away at the iron, he could overhear his wife, Astrid, shouting.

"ROLOND!"

Rolond groaned as he placed his hammer down. "What is it, ya daft woman?!" he shouted, walking towards the house. Astrid met him at the door, her snow white hair draped over her stout shoulders.

"Ya won't believe who's here!" she yelled, her voice weathered by the years. Rolond gave her a confused look as she led him inside. His eyes went wide as he saw Linaeus sitting in his living room.

"Linaeus, lad, is that you?!" he gawked. He walked over and shook the man's hand, "And here I thought ya went and forgot about us!"

"Hard to forget someone like you, Rolond," Linnaeus chuckled, "How have things been?"

"Eh, aside from the usual shit we've been dealin' with, not much has changed around here."

"Any word on Malia? I was told she was here too."

Rolond shot a look over to Astrid, "I, uh, had no idea ya knew her. The only person who knew her was-"

"-Eryn?" a mysterious voice said behind them. Rolond and Astrid turned around quickly. The queen stood at the entrance of their house. Rolond's face went stone cold as he eyed her.

"Ah, Yer Majesty…" he said hesitantly, "To what do we owe the… pleasure?"

"I'm here on behalf of both Eryn and General Torvond," Elsa gestured to Linaeus.

"Wait, if you know Eryn… then does that mean…?" Rolond's body tensed up.

"Don't worry, he's still alive."

Roland let out a short sigh as he eased the tension out of his body, "What happened to him, then?"

"Official Arendelle business, I'm afraid," Linnaeus replied.

"Heh, didn't expect him to turn like that."

"Well… he's turned a new leaf, as it were."

"Alright, but why is the queen here? Didn't think you'd give ol' Karnisvarne a visit."

"I'm here to right some wrongs, Mr. Abhramson. Starting with what happened to you."

Rolond was stunned into silence by the queen's words. He was unsure if she was telling the truth or not.

"I-I beg yer pardon?"

"I understand you never received the proper compensation for your service to Arendelle under my grandfather."

The sound of something jingling behind him grabbed Rolond's attention. Snapping his neck around, he saw Linaeus place a few large bags on the floor. Astrid walked up to one, undid the string, and let out a sharp gasp. She pulled out several gold coins, glistening in the sunlight. Rolond fought back tears as he walked over to the bags. He knelt down to take a fistfull of coins and brought them to his face. A single tear rolled down his face as he faced the queen again.

"Th-thank ye, yer majesty," he choked, "y've done me and m' wife a great service."

"It should be me who's thanking you, Mr. Abhramson. Your duty to Arendelle should be recognized."

"I've been waitn' near ten years fer this! I had te slave over the anvil te make by!"

"Consider this your retirement fund," Linaeus lifted himself off of the couch as he stepped toward and placed a hand on Rolond's shoulder, "We're sorry this took so long, Rolond."

"Thank ye, lad. And Yer Majesty. Tell Eryn I said thanks as well."

"We will," Elsa replied, "And thank you once again for your service."

Linaeus walked over to Elsa as Rolond and Astrid embraced, both sobbing wildly. The general and queen made their way out the door and back onto the street. Few people stopped to look at them, and those that did either gawked or scoffed at them.

"That was incredibly kind, Elsa," Linaeus said as they walked down the street, "that man means a lot to me and Eryn."

"It was the right thing to do," Elsa replied, focusing on the road ahead of her, "it hurts to see this place in a state like this."

"At least these issues are being addressed now, that's all that matters."

"Well, now that we're not forced to keep so many soldiers in the north, Søderlund can get some long overdue attention. Now, where to next?"

"Ms. Malia, Your Majesty. But, um, if I may, I wish to talk to her alone."

"Oh?" Elsa raised her eyebrow.

"I feel like I need to apologize to her directly. I denied what happened to her for years and I need to make it right."

Elsa pondered his request for a moment before saying, "Very well, Linaeus. Send her my regards if you will."

"Yes ma'am!" Linaeus made his way down the street until he was out of Elsa's sight. As she wandered through the village, Elsa made several mental notes about what needed to be done. She'd need to discuss things with the governor, some city planners, and quite possibly some engineers. Of course, this also meant more and more meetings and massive amounts of paperwork. Elsa's head began to hurt simply thinking about the bureaucracy that she'll be subjected to over the next few months.

Her mind wandered over to Eryn. Part of her felt sympathetic to him, having to grow up in such a dreary and desolate place. The other part of her questioned if pardoning him was the right move. Regardless, she knew that he needed to be under strict supervision if he was to continue working with her.

Then there was what Skyne said all those months ago. What did he mean by a child of Ahtohallan? Was it a real place? Did it have to do with her powers? These questions raced around her head like a swarm of insects. This would require much more research and investigation on her end.

_One thing at a time, Elsa,_ she thought to herself as she walked down the road.

XXXXXX

"YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!" Markus screamed, squirming around as Eryn led him to the soldiers out front of the tavern. His hands were bound behind him with iron shackles as several patrons looked on in horror. Markus's face was beet red, matching the color of his hair and beard. Eryn simply rolled his eyes and shoved Markus along.

"Oh wow, how original…" Eryn muttered as he kicked the door open. Two fucking weeks he'd been chasing down Markus. Jormund and Fili were easy to grab, but Markus was the problem child as always. Ever since Maldonia, Markus was the biggest pain in the ass, challenging Eryn every step of the way. In a way, Eryn was glad to put this asshole in his place.

"I heard how you killed Twiggy, bastard! And the blood pact you made with that knife of yours. You really think you're better than us?!"

"It's called turning a new leaf, smartass. You should've tried it."

"Don't give me that shit, I know why you're doing this, Odrikson!"

"Don't even think about it you-"

"All of this because you want to fuck the qu-"

Eryn drove his fist into Markus's face. Markus's nose let out a loud crack as Eryn's knuckles stung. When he approached the guards, Eryn threw Markus to them, who fell onto the dirt before them.

"Here's another bastard." Eryn spat, "Careful, he's a bit bitey."

"FUG YOU," Markus spat through his broken nose. The guards hoisted him off of the ground and dragged him over to the prison wagon. One of them flew the door open while the other threw Markus in. Markus screamed aloud as the guards slammed the door shut, muffling his screams.

Eryn watched the display with his arms crossed. He was one step closer to his true freedom. Just five more ringleaders and he'd be a free man in Elsa's eyes. In a way, he should at least be happy about that, so why wasn't he? His thoughts dwelt on her remarkable kindness. It almost felt like she was setting him up for when he returned with the last man. She didn't seem like the person to betray him like that. Then again, he would deserve it, given the situation that caused them to meet.

That's when he felt it again, the congestion clogging his chest. It felt like there was a swarm of bees lodged where his heart should be. Eryn raised his fist to his mouth as he coughed furiously. Whatever it was, Eryn made a mental note to visit some kind of physician about this.

_Stay on task, Eryn,_ he thought as he joined the guards back on the wagon. With the crack of the reigns, the wagon darted down the dirt road as the tavern disappeared out of sight.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this. I'd also like to give a special thanks to the reviewer who gave me the idea for Eryn's shadow powers. Now, although this story is over, that doesn't mean I'm done with Eryn. Stay tuned, and thanks again for reading!**


End file.
